Forever YoungMaybe
by MastermindMedley10
Summary: After a science experiment gone wrong, Professor Oak is mentally and emotionally a sixty-five year old man, yet trapped inside his ten year old self! Its now up to a familiar team of scientists to return the professor back to normal!
1. Chapter 1A Blast to the Past…sorta

**Ch.1: A Blast to the Past…Well, sorta…**

The large, domed laboratory gleamed with the light of the radiant summer sun that streamed in from the outside, causing the metallic machinery that it contained to shine. Pidgey and Taillow sang, Bellossom and Sunflora danced, and the lab on the small, jungle island was buzzing with excitement.

"This is the day!" the famous Pokémon professor, Samuel Oak exclaimed once more, as he adjusted his reading glasses and reviewed his notes for the umpteenth time, "The day that will make history! You alright, Gary?" he asked, as he turned to face his equally famous grandson, Gary Oak.

Gary sighed.

"You've asked me about a hundred times today, and my answer has been the same: fine. Never better. I'm completely ready to make history. I do wish that you would stop buzzing around like a nervous Beedrill. I don't want you to hurt your leg."

"Yeah, too much news for the media to take in in one day!" added Beth, the tall, blond haired assistant of the Oaks', her brown eyes gleaming with amusement, "It's enough for them to have a field day with the first cloned Pokémon egg, but to add another two page story on how the great Professor Samuel Oak couldn't enjoy his success, along with his lovely assistant and grandson, because of a clumsy fall would be too much!"

"I sure hope you're not referring to me as the 'lovely assistant'!" said Tracey Sketchit, as he set down a box of small, recording devices.

"Or me!" came the muffled, British voice of the young researcher, Bill, from under a large computer screen box.

Gary laughed, as Beth scowled, replying, "Don't be jealous boys, they'll add you both in the news too, under 'obituaries': 'Death by lab accident'."

"Or: 'Death by crazy blond'", said Tracey.

"Or: 'Suicidal assistants driven to insanity by mad blond'", added Bill.  
Gary, Bill, and Tracey burst into laughter, as Beth's cheeks grew red, making the freckles on her face stand out. She was about to give a retort, when the older professor stepped in.

"Alright, enough. With the way you all are acting, I may consider suicide myself….We are almost ready, so wasting time like this is not an option! Back to work! Bill, are you almost done fixing the kinks in the recording screen?"

"Almost there…just a few more wires….and….done! That should do it, sir!" said Bill, as he slid himself backwards on his back on the floor and stood, wiping the dust from his black khakis and purple button-up shirt, "Give it a try now," he said, as he began wiping the dust out of his brown hair and pale, but friendly, face.

As Gary started to turn on the large machine, the older Oak watched as he lowered himself slowly in the chair at the desk beside it, placing his cane nearby. Due to old age, years of chasing Pokémon (and the occasional child), and a nasty run-in with an angry Rhyhorn a few years back, a cane was now required for the old man to walk, particularly for his right leg, which he considered his 'bad leg'. The screen flickered on, with cries of relief from the lab's occupants.

"Now, this show is about to begin!" cried the beaming Samuel Oak, as he began typing complicated formulas onto the screen.

"Gary, get the energy projectors into position! Beth, begin checking those vital signs from the Areodactyl egg and give the information to Bill. Bill, you document and calculate how much energy is needed in this process, as agreed on. Tracey, begin recording the process, don't miss any details! Gah! Why am I telling you all this? You all know what to do, do it!"

Beth couldn't help but chuckle at the flustered old professor, as she began looking at a series of charts on smaller screens from the center of the large, wide domed lab at the base of what they hoped would be a success. A mass collection of small computer screens circled around the base of a large, transparent, glass dome. Inside the dome, elevated by steel, robotic arms, was a greenish egg with brown markings. It was the egg of the ancient Pokémon, Aerodactyl.

Since Gary and his team years back had found a way to revive a fossil to its original state, the challenge now was to try to revive a fossilized egg and watch it develop, hatch, and grow. To be able to study Pokémon from infancy would be a researchers' dream come true. The idea of projects like these was to be able to revive the ancient world of Pokémon. Now, after many failed attempts, today could be a day written in history books!

Once everything was in order, the researchers now stood at lever at the base of the egg, under the elevated energy projectors that were poised for position. These 'energy projectors' were big, gun like objects that would direct the desired energy to revive the egg. Everyone was silent.

"Well", said the older Oak, stepping forward with the help of his cane, looking into the faces of Gary, Tracey, Bill, and Beth, "All I can say is, that no matter if this is succeeds or fails, I'm proud of each and every one of you. You all stepped forward on a blindfolded mission, none of us really knowing what we were doing or how we were going to do it. But, we did it. You all have my appreciations for your time and efforts."

He turned, smiling at his grandson, who now hovered over him in height.

"I'm especially proud of you, Gary", he said, placing a firm, but gentle hand on his shoulder, looking into his dark eyes that mirrored his own, "You dared to dream, and you most certainly dream big. That alone, I am proud of. But also, you go for your dreams, which the Pokémon world is grateful for. Now", he said, lowering his hand and staring into the eyes of the eager researchers, "Let's make history!"

After a small round of applause, Tracey, Beth, and Bill (with his laptop) all gathered behind a steel wall with a shatter proof window. Due to the high energy use of the project, they took extra precaution in safety. Only the two Professors remained at the lever.

Samuel Oak smirked up at his grandson, his eyes alight.

"Go for it," he said. With that, he left Gary at the lever that would begin the process of reviving the egg.

Once his grandfather was safely out of potential harm's way, Gary placed his hand on the ball of the lever and yanked it down. Lights began to flash and sounds of machinery coming to life echoed in Gary's ears, as he fled towards the safety of the shatter-proof wall, his white lab coat flapping behind him. He entered into the safety zone brushing his spiky, brown bangs out of his eyes and turned towards to window to watch the spectacle along with the others.

The whirring sounds of the machinery now escalated in volume, nearly deafening them all. Lights flickered and flash across the lab, illuminating the lab even more than the sun. Smiles came upon everyone's faces. It was working.

Suddenly, a crash interrupted the sound of the electronic beats. Lights flashed more than ever, making it almost impossible to see anything.

"What happened?!" shouted Beth over the roar of the machinery, that was now sounding at a higher octave and at a much faster tempo.

"I think one of the energy projectors has a loose bolt or something!" shouted Tracey.

"This is terrible! If something isn't done quickly, this place will explode due to the uncontrolled power of the undirected energy!" cried Bill.

"What should we do, Gramps? Gramps? GRANDPA!" screamed Gary in pure terror, as he noticed his grandfather hobbling as fast as his elderly knees and cane would allow, away from the safety zone and towards the energy projector that was now spiraling out of control in its elevated restraint.

"PROFESSOR!" the others yelled in unison, as they realized what was happening.

"Come back!" cried Gary, as he dashed from the safety of the wall and to the aide of his grandfather.

"NO!" yelled the old man, stopping Gary in his tracks, a few feet from the safety zone, dropping his cane and holding up his arms in protest to Gary's action.

"But-", said Gary.

"No 'buts'!" replied Oak, lowering his arms, "Didn't you hear Bill? If something's not done, we're all doomed. I'd rather be the one to get hurt than you or the others."

Before Gary could argue, Oak was already at the main computer typing as fast as he could. The projector suddenly began to spin rapidly, lights flashing in warning.

"RUN!" cried Gary, as he felt the floor of the lab begin to tremble.

The old man looked up in panic, than began to run back, his right arm supporting his right knee, due to losing his cane.

The projector suddenly began shaking, pointing in the direction of the old professor. Like a cannon, it exploded. The blast echoed from the walls of the lab, light engulfed everything, blinding everyone. The last thing Gary saw before having to shield his eyes from the blast was the beam of the explosion hitting the floor a few feet from behind his grandfather, who was thrown against the wall from the impact, then hidden behind a thick cloud of dust and debris.

When Gary was able to open his eyes again, he found himself face-down on the floor, his arms over his eyes, with dust covered all over him.

"Are you okay?" asked a panic stricken Beth, who was also covered in dust.

"Yeah, fine", muttered Gary, as Tracey and Bill helped him to his feet.

"Where's Grandpa?" asked Gary.

"We don't know yet", replied Bill, "The dust is still too thick in some places."

"Hey! I think I see him!" exclaimed Tracey, pointing ahead of him.

All four of them ran towards a moving lump in an area where the dust fog was lessening up. As they moved closer, they heard coughing.

"Are you okay, Professor?" asked Beth, as they circled around the mass of the Professor's clothing moving on the ground. It was still too thick to see much.

"Besides nearly escaping death? I'm just lovely, Beth", came a sarcastic remark.

The researchers exchanged glances.

"That didn't sound like the Professor to me. How about you guys?" whispered Tracey.

They all exchanged agreeing glances.

"Uh….Grandpa?" asked Gary slowly, as he crept upon the mass of moving clothes, in which he realized his grandfather wasn't in, "is that you?"

"Did that blast idle your brains, Gary? Of course it's me! You'd figure that calling someone 'Grandpa' for the last twenty-two years may be a reason to remember that person…Don't just stand there! Help me up! That blast got my clothes tangled around me."

The researchers exchanged more shocked glances. That wasn't Professor Samuel Oak's voice.

"Fine", retorted the voice among the mass of clothes, "I'll help myself."

The researchers watched with gaping mouths as small, children hands slipped through the sleeves of Oak's red, long-sleeved, button-up shirt and white lab coat. Small feet covered in very loose, gray socks came out through the pants leg of Oak's tan khaki pants. Finally, a small child's head poked out through the opening for the head. The child had brown, bobbed hair and looked to be around ten years old. The child picked himself up and looked up at the researchers.

"You all look like you've seen a ghost Pokémon", the child said, placing his hands upon his hips, "What's the matter?"

The group stared at the child, mouth's open wide.

"Professor…"said Tracey slowly, "is that you?"

"I think you all inhaled too much of that dust", stated the child with impatience, "I mean, I know I have dust on me, that doesn't mean I turned into a Rattata or something."

The crew exchanged glances again.

Gary stepped forward

"If you're truly Samuel Oak, what's my middle name?" he asked.

"This is ridiculous!' the young boy shouted in anger, stamping one foot and crossing his arms.

"Just answer the question!" Gary snapped back.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to your grandfather with that tone of voice, Gary _Vernon_ Oak", the boy snapped back, emphasizing Gary's middle name, fury radiating from him, "I don't care if you are an adult and taller than me, I can still bend you over my knee!"

"He's right…"Gary muttered to the group in shock, ignoring the child.

"Of course I'm right! I remember the day your parents announced what your name would be!" the boy replied, glaring, "What's this all about?"

Beth slowly stepped forward, taking a small mirror from her pocket and gave it to the child.

"Look", she said softly.

The boy did, and when he did, his eyes got wide. His mouth dropped and the mirror fell out of his hands, shattering on the floor. He looked at his hands slowly, then up at the group.

"I'm a child", Professor Samuel Oak stated in shock.

__________________


	2. Chapter 2 Young Again

**Ch. 2: Young again  
**The ten year old version of Professor Samuel Oak stammered the words "I'm a child" once more, as he examined his now smaller and wrinkle free hands. He touched his smooth face, observed a strand of his brown hair; his bright, curious brown eyes darted from one new feature to another. The now older researchers stood gaping at the young boy.

"How did this happen?" asked Tracey, as he rubbed his dark eyes, blinked at the young boy, then shook his head, as if he were a Growlithe trying to shake water off its back. The action caused his pink head band to slide out of place, making his black spiky hair cover his eyes. He placed the band back in place, still blinking at the child.

"I don't know", said Gary, stunned, looking at an almost replica of himself as a child.

The boy was now examining his feet. As Gary watched, he had a feeling of déjà vu, remembering a time when he was a small boy and had gone into his grandfathers closet and had worn his clothes. They were, of course, too big for him, but the way that the pants had dragged on the floor, the socks bunching up over his feet, the way the lab coat had almost completely hidden him the way that they did this child, it was almost as if he were watching the same memory this time, instead of being a part of it.

"What do you think, Bill?' asked Beth, jerking her head in his direction, her short blond hair whipping across her freckled face.

The young researcher looked paler than usually, as he continued to watch the boy, who had seemed to lose interest in them, and had now began flexing his joints, watching with glee as bent his right knee while standing on his left foot. He had begun to swing his knee faster, then switched sides, his smile growing larger as he held his balance.

"I-I have a f-few ideas…", stammered Bill, as he ran his hand through his light brown hair.

"What do we do now?" asked Beth.

"Get me some new clothes, for starters!" piped up the young boy, as he rolled up his sleeves to free his hands from them. The researchers jumped as he spoke and stared at him with stunned expressions.

"I'm still Professor Oak", chuckled the boy, as he folded his arms across his chest, giving them a childish grin, "Just the much younger version."

"So, you think you know what happened….err….Professor?" asked Tracey, not sure how to respond to the younger version of his boss.

The boy chuckled again.

"I have a hypothesis or two, but for now, we need to Teleport back to my lab to do some research and to find me some clothes." He looked at the clothes that were practically falling off of him and shook his head, "Why didn't any of you ever tell me to go on a diet or something?"

"Grandpa is right", said Gary, as he grabbed a red and white Poke' Ball from his lab coat pocket and pressed the center button.

_Later at the Oak Lab in Pallet Town, Kanto._

The researchers had managed to find a pair of navy pants that fit reasonable well, once rolled up some from the bottom a few times and with a belt. They were also able to find an old shirt of Gary's that he had gotten from a Pokémon circus when he was a child. The beat-up looking shirt was an ugly color purple, with a Poke' Ball in the center with the words 'The Greatest Pokémon Show on Earth!' in big, yellow, tacky letters over it. It was still a bit large on the now young professor.

Once the little professor was clothed, he and the other researchers sat in his living room in his lab. The room was of medium size, with cream colored walls with the occasional map, painting, or photo, and was occupied by two brown chairs and a red couch, with a wooden coffee table between them. Gary had provided everyone with a mug of coffee, hesitating some when he got to his grandfather. The young boy didn't seem to notice as he took a hot mug from the serving tray and took a sip, settling himself in the brown arm chair across from the others, his feet dangling. Gary sat on the couch beside a nervous looking Bill, whose hands were shaking as he held his mug. Beth sat on the arm of the couch, donning a pair of jeans and a loose green turtle neck sweater, as she sipped her coffee. Tracey had placed himself backwards in a wooden chair, holding his mug, but not paying it any attention to it.

"Well", said Gary, after a moment of silence, "Any ideas, anyone?"

"Well", said Bill slowly, placing his mug on the table, "we know for a fact that it was a malfunction in one of the energy projectors. I believe it was from a misplaced wire. Undirected energy like that can cause it to lose control."

"Alright", said Beth, "next question: what did it do?"

"A bit obvious, don't you think?" remarked the young Oak, lifting his eyebrows at her as he took a sip of coffee.

"What do you mean?" asked Gary, turning to her.

"I mean, yes, Professor Oak has turned from a sixty-six year old man-"

"I was sixty-five!" interrupted Oak, scowling.

"Whatever", said Beth glancing over at him, as she sipped her coffee, "you were old, that's all that matters. Anyway, back to what I was saying, the professor has turned from an old man with a bad knee and bad sight to what my charts shows a ten year old boy, who is obviously in great shape. No signs of old age at all. He doesn't even need glasses."

"What's your point?" asked Gary.

"My point is the energy that the projectors were supposed to send different types of energy beams from each projector. One to send the energy needed to make a 65,000 year old egg into an egg whose age is around two to three months. Another to reverse the aging process, in other words, same egg with the same fossilized fetus, just back to the age we want it. The age reversing energy is controlled by the age progressing energy. Both are used to balance out the age progressing and age reversing. That is, to even out the growth of the Pokémon throughout its existence. We wanted to examine the life of this Pokémon as naturally as we could."

"Uh…"said Tracey, feeling very confused as he often did when hearing Beth make scientific statements like that, "I still don't get it…"

"I know what you mean!" said Bill, turning wide-eyed towards Beth.

"Oh, no…."muttered Gary.

"Is there any way to know?" asked the young Oak.

"Only time will tell, according to my calculations", said Beth.

"Huh?" said Tracey, looking at everyone for some clue as to what was going on.

"Don't you see?" said Bill, turning to Tracey, making the statement seem as if it was completely understandable, "Yes, the professor is a child, but from what we can tell, we don't know what type of energy he got hit with or if it got mangled with anything. Is he a complete DNA counterpart of his ten year old self, or is he exactly his ten year self and will age as such? Will he age? Or did he get hit with the reversing age energy and actually reverse in growth? Will he grow or decrease in age or emotionally or mentally or all three? If he is a counterpart, what are we going to do? Counterparts have no predicted path in development, especially in growth reverse. You understand now, Tracey?"

"Oh, no", said Tracey, wide-eyed.

"Well, one thing is for certain, he is mentally and emotionally the Professor Oak", stated Beth, "Now is he a counterpart, or his actual self reversed in time?"

"How can he tell?" asked Tracey

"A counterpart would be completely whole", explained Bill, "No missing teeth, wounds, scars, bruises, or birth marks or any of the sort."

"Do you have a scar or something from when you where ten, Gramps?" asked Gary.

The boy crossed his dangling legs and brought his hand to his chin, rubbing it in thought, his brow furrowed in concentration. The sight would've been very funny to any new comers. Suddenly, after a moment of thinking, his eyes lit up with a thought.

"I got a scar on my knee after trying to catch a Sandsrew", he replied, as he began rolling up the left leg of his pants. The crew waited with baited breath as he did so, hoping that he wasn't a counterpart. The group sighed with relief, as the young boy revealed a skinny, knobby leg, with a slight pink scar about three inches across his knee.

"That's a relief", grinned the boy, as he covered his leg again, "Now the next question, how will I develop?"

"And how to get you back to normal", added Gary.

"And what process will work", said Bill.

"Let's not rush that", said the boy with a sneaky smile, as he crossed his arms and sat back in the armchair.

"What do you mean, Professor?" asked Tracey.

"Yeah, I'm confused, too Grandpa", said Gary.

"I'll be quite honest with you all, I don't want to rush this miracle", stated the boy, "I know I'm being selfish, but do you know how long it's been since I've been able to walk with no pain? To be able to sit in a chair without my back throbbing? To be able to see things with ease? You all don't understand what it's like to not be able to do as much research as you would like because your body just can't handle it. I'm not saying that I want this to be permanent, but I'm also asking that I be able to have a few pain free days. I'm thinking we could research this some more, perhaps we've found a cure for aging symptoms! What do you say?"

"We have no choice but to agree with him, guys", said Beth turning to the others, "It's going to be a while before we know what's going on exactly, maybe even a few months", she turned to the young Oak and shrugged, "and this is a major research opportunity, that is, if Professor Oak is willing to be the experiment."

"Great! It's settled!" exclaimed the young boy, as he hopped out of his chair and grinned, "But, for now on, you all can't call me 'Sir', 'Professor' or 'Professor Oak', and especially 'Gramps' or 'Grandpa'. From now on, just call me 'Sammie'."

"And you most definitely need new clothes", said Beth, her eyes narrowing down at the hideous circus shirt. She shook her head, "What were you thinking, Gary?"

"I think that we need to keep this as quiet as possible", said Bill, "perhaps only tell your granddaughter and the other region professors, Profes-oh, I mean Sammie."

"Over my dead body about the other professors!" said Sammie, spinning towards him in a speed much too quick for the older version of himself to do.

"Why?" asked Tracey, "I'm sure they could help out a lot."

"I bet", snorted Sammie, rolling his eyes, "If they hear that this experiment screwed up big time, I'll never hear the end of it! Especially from Elm….and don't get me started on Rowan! But, yes, Daisy needs to know about this. I think your wife should know, too, Gary."

Gary nodded in agreement.

"What about the great-grand kids?" Sammie asked Gary.

"They are too young, this would only confuse and maybe frighten them", said Gary, shaking his head.

"I think Ash and Misty should know", said Tracey, "I mean, they're always over here."

Sammie nodded his head in agreement.

"What are we going to tell the media?" asked Bill, "They'll notice if you're gone."

"Tell them I ran away to my long, lost lover on Two Island", said Sammie, with a rebellious grin. The comment got him wide-eyed stares from everyone else.

"Just kidding!" laughed Sammie, holding up his hands in innocence, "You all can't take a joke, can you? But seriously….hmmm….tell them I'm doing some long term research in the northern mountains in Sinnoh to study the climate effects there. They should believe that."

"What about you?" asked Gary, "I mean, the story 'some kid followed me home one day' isn't very believable. I'm just grateful it's summer so no one will question why you're not at school."

Sammie thought for a moment.

"Tell them I'm a traveling Trainer and Watcher from Johto who has come to the Oak Lab to study some of the Pokémon here. It's not far from the truth. Back in my day, that was what I did: trained and watched Pokémon", said Sammie.

"All Trainers have a team of Pokémon", stated Beth, "You could just use the team you have here at the lab, but that would look suspicious."

"Then I'll catch and train a new team. No problem", said Sammie, "If that's everything, Beth, seeing as you're a young lady, may I ask that you accompany me to the local mall for some new clothes? I have no idea what the style for young Trainers is nowadays," he said to her, smiling and extending his arm out to her in a gentleman fashion.

"Let's work on your speech and mannerisms, too while we're at it", she laughed, as she accepted his arm and they both left the room. The remaining men stared at each other.

"Well," said Gary, pouring himself some coffee, "This is going to be very interesting."

-To be continued

Hope you all enjoyed it! Reviews and advice would be welcomed and appreciated. A little motivation helps, too, heheh...


	3. Chapter 3 Life of a ChildDay 1

**Ch.3: Life of a Child-Day 1**

Beth awoke the next morning in one of the lab assistants' bedroom of the Oak Lab. She and Tracey had been voted to stay at the Oak Lab to monitor the ten-year old Professor Oak's behavior, though with much argument once out of hearing range of the young Oak. Despite the fact that all the researchers cared for the professor, none of them wanted to be babysitter's, were the young professor to change mentally and emotionally into a ten year old.

Gary argued that he was already dealing with the "terrible two's" at his house, that he wasn't prepared to handle the "terrible ten's" just yet. He also mentioned that his wife would kill him were he to be gone most the time, leaving her to handle the house, a career, and their two small kids, while he tried to handle his pre-teen grandfather, and that his death would cause a delay in returning the professor back to normal. Tracey argued that Gary should be the main one to take care of the professor, seeing it was his grandfather. Gary had snapped back, saying he should be the least responsible, seeing that he had a family to take care of, unlike Bill or Tracey, who were lucky enough to get a blind date from 'Trainer '. Bill said he shouldn't be in charge, because he would be too busy trying to fix the projector, which no one else knew how to work and if any of them would like to try to fix the $73,000 machine, be his guest.

Then, the male population turned on the only female in the group, saying that she should take care of the child, seeing as she was a woman and would know how to take care of kids and such. After Beth had given them a ten minute speech on the roles of the women in the 21st century (which included how women no longer must sit around the house with a child on her hip, keeping house and whatnot, while her husband or mate goes around doing what the entire male population does best: eat, sleep, and think about women, not particularly in that order, to prove her worth, and reminded them, many times, that for a bunch of researchers, they were completely and utterly mindless and sexist Grumpigs). When Beth had finished her Nobel Prize winning speech, Gary was dumb enough to comment on the 'household roles' of the males, which earned him a spot on the ground, flat on his back, with Beth holding his shirt collar, threatening to bring out more of her black belt skills, were he or any other stupid man were to ever act sexist again. Gary, along with the frightened onlookers, agreed with no questions asked.

After much more discussion, it was agreed that the two with the shortest straw, or in this case, the shortest peppermint sticks that Tracey had in his back pocket, would be the unlucky winners. With Gary's Alakazam being the judge, Tracey and Beth were the unfortunate winners, glancing down at their broken peppermint straws with distaste and distraught, while Gary and Bill tried their best not to smile too hard and saved their happy dances until they were out of the, now babysitter's, (particularly Beth) sight.

"_Gary is just lucky that I didn't beat the stuffing out of him right then and there", _thought Beth, as she changed into her Trainer attire, a denim, button-up, knee length dress with a matching denim belt and red flats. She also added her charm bracelet to her left wrist and put her hair up into a sophisticated styled pony-tail. Yes, she was one of those attractive, blond geniuses.

As she walked out of her room, she heard a low buzz of noise. She followed the sound to the Lab's larger living area, which looked exactly like the smaller one that the crew met in the day before, only bigger and with a wide screen T.V. in front of the couch, which now seated the ten-year professor in crisscross position, his hair tussled and still in his PJ's, with a bowl of colorful cereal in his lap, which Beth recognized to be 'Captain Carvahnnas', watching cartoons on the big screen. He started laughing when Beth came in, completely absorbed in the Psyduck that was just scorched on the rear by a Torchic with the hiccups.

"Uh…Professor….?" said Beth, slowly, as she took in what she was seeing. The sight somewhat frightened her: even if he had been hit with some reverse aging energy, it shouldn't have taken effect so quickly.

"Oh! Morning, Beth!" greeted the young boy, turning to her as he wiped some dripping milk from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.  
Beth gave a small sigh of relief. If the energy was taking affect, he wouldn't have recognized her.

"May I ask what you are doing, Professor?" asked Beth, smiling as she sat down next to him.

"I told you, call me 'Sammie'", the boy grinned, as he took a messy bite out of his cereal, "And what does it look like I'm doing? I'm experimenting of course!", he managed to say with his mouth full. Beth grimaced some as she backed up to avoid the bits of food that flew from his mouth from talking. He didn't seem to notice; the Psyduck on T.V. was now chasing after the hiccuping Torchic, who was accidentally setting most objects in his path ablaze.

"Let me guess", said Beth, as she wiped off some cereal crumbs from her shoulder, "trying to see if mental age will connect to physical age forcibly?"

"Oh, you're good. Now I know why I hired you", Sammie complemented, taking another bite.

"Is it working?" asked Beth.

Sammie gulped.

"I think it is!" he said, taking another spoonful.

"Tracey out taking care of the Pokémon?" asked Beth.

"Um-hmm", hummed Sammie, nodding his head, his eyes absorbed into the T.V. screen.

"You know, Ash, Misty, and Daisy will be here pretty soon, so you might want to look more presentable", said Beth.

"It's not like they're gonna freak out when they see me or anything", shrugged Sammie, climbing off the couch. Beth had to admit, he did do a good job paying attention to the pre-teens at the mall yesterday when they had gotten him some more fitting clothes. His speech was beginning to be more believable.

As Sammie was getting dressed, Gary and Bill arrived, and Tracey returned from feeding the Pokémon.

"Well, how's it going?" asked Gary.

"Besides enjoying a very unhealthy bowl of commercialized breakfast cereal and watching 'The Adventures of the Wayward Pokémon' in his PJ's most the morning, it's safe to say that he is still the professor emotionally and mentally", answered Beth.

"I don't see how she can look like that, yet talk the ways she does", whispered Tracey to Bill, unaware of Beth's narrowing eyes, "I mean, it just doesn't fit."

"Oh, you mean I don't fit into the 'hot blond category' of your sexist ways", snapped Beth, bearing her gazed down at the two of them, who both jumped at the harsh tone of her voice, "Allow me to enlighten you both: I'm a blond with a brain and a black belt. Care to see?"

Tracey was almost dumb enough to say 'yes', but understood the error of his ways when Bill elbowed him hard in the ribs, and nodded towards Beth's cracking knuckles. He shook he head violently.

"I thought so", she sneered.

By that time Sammie had arrived, wearing the new clothes he and Beth had picked out the day before. He now donned a pair of black cargo pants, a red shirt with a white strip around the middle, with a black vest over it with two red vertical lines on each side. He also had on a pair of black and red tennis shoes.

"You look great, Sammie! But, untuck your shirt, that's not the style", said Beth.

"It feels awkward when I don't", complained Sammie.

"Kids today don't use the term 'awkward'", said Tracey.

Sammie sighed.

"And I thought I was doing so well…" , grumbled Sammie.

"You look fine, Gram-sorry, Sammie", said Gary, checking his watch, "Daisy, Ash, and Misty will be here soon, so you'd better-"

"HEY! WE'RE HERE!" came the voice of Ash Ketchum from the direction of the front door.

"Ash! Shut-up! Like we need you to announce our arrival!" scolded the familiar voice of Misty Waterflower.

"Why is the front door unlocked? Grandpa doesn't unlock it until later in the day", said the sweet voice of Daisy Oak.

Sammie turned to scowl at Tracey.

"Yes, why is my front door unlocked so early in the day?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Sorry, Professor! I forgot", apologized Tracey. Sammie just rolled his eyes as the pounding of footsteps got louder.

"Great", muttered Gary, "they're here early…."

"What do we-"Beth started to say, before being interrupted by three figures entering the room.

The figures included one male and two females, all of whom were very familiar to the Pokémon world. Ash Ketchum, who had slightly matured from his younger days, now wore a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt with a blue strip around the middle on his now broad frame, and a pair of black tennis shoes, a different attire than his Trainer wear nowadays, but seeing that he was taking a break, he deemed it more appropriate. He also left his hat at home, letting his messy black hair fly in all directions. Of course, his faithful sidekick, Pikachu, was following at his heels. Misty, too, was out of her gym wear, and now wore a yellow collar shirt with no sleeves and an old pair of denim shorts and orange tennis shoes. She still wore her red hair up in her usual side pony-tail. Daisy was a pretty, tall and slender young adult (she was Gary's older sister). She wore her usual light blue sundress and had a white headband in her raven colored hair that went down to her waist.

"Hey! The door was opened so we just-WHOA!" said Ash, who widened his eyes at seeing Sammie.

"You can't be!" gasped Misty, pointing at the boy.

"Pika! Pi, ka!" cried Pikachu, blinking rapidly at the boy.

"Wait, you guys already know what happened to the professor?" asked Beth.

"Huh?" said Ash and Misty in unison, with Pikachu adding his own "Chu?" in the mix.

Daisy wasn't taking much notice in them.

"Hello", she said sweetly to the young boy, bending down to be eye level with him, "My name is Daisy, what's your name?"

"Sammie", the boy grinned back, "but I do believe we've met."

"Have we?" asked Daisy, trying to picture where she might have met him, while Misty, Ash, and Pikachu stood gaping at hearing his name.

"Bu-but", stuttered Ash, "you can't be! You're, like, from the past! Then Celebi brought you back, and Team Rocket chased us, and Suicune made the water clean again, and the pictures! You drew pictures of Pokémon! Then you had to go back and then-"

"Ash, what the heck are you talking about?" asked Tracey, while the rest, save Misty and Pikachu, (who were nodding in agreement to everything Ash was saying) were looking at Ash like he had gone completely crazy. Well…

"Calm down, everyone", laughed Sammie, motioning with his hands for everyone to lighten up. He turned and smiled at Ash, standing in with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, Ash, I'm very surprised that you even remember me", said Sammie, "I mean, it's been such a long time ago."

"Professor, care to enlighten us?" asked Beth.

"Professor?" said Daisy in shock, "He is just a boy! And where's Grandpa?"

"You see, Daisy", Gary began, slowly, "There was a small accident at the lab on the island…"

"Grandpa's not hurt, is he?" gasped Daisy.

"Not really…"

"Oh! For crying out loud, grow a backbone, Gary!" snapped Beth in frustration, turning to Daisy, "Daisy, I could give you the big hairy details of what has happened, but seeing as you look very faint at the moment, I'll just give it to you short and sweet: There was an accident at the lab involving your grandfather. Now, lo and behold, he stands before you, and as you can see, he is completely healthy."

Daisy turned wide-eyed towards the boy, who was grinning ear to ear at her stunned look. Both Ash and Pikachu's jaws dropped, while Misty stuttered to fit the pieces of their very confusing story together.

"If you're Professor Oak…" stated Misty, slowly.

"Which I am", grinned the boy, as if leading her on to her conclusion, which had everyone else stumped.

"That means that you were, well, are Sammie, the boy that was transported to the future in the forest!" concluded Misty.

"No way!" cried Ash.

"Pikachu!" gasped Pikachu.

"Wait just a Poke'-picking second!" said Beth, while Gary and Bill helped Daisy to a nearby chair, and Tracey still stood there looking confused, "What are you guys going on about Celebi and a forest?"

"Well," said Ash, still staring at Sammie, who seemed to be enjoying every minute of this, "Back when Misty, Brock, and I traveled together, we came across a forest that was said to be watched over by the Legendary Pokémon, Celebi. You all know the legend of Celebi, right?"

He was answered by nods.

"We were about to enter the forest", continued Ash, "when an old woman told us about a little boy who had wandered into the forest forty years earlier and never came back. We later found the boy, who was called 'Sammie'."

The room in unison turned to look at the boy.

"Long story short", said Misty, picking up where Ash stopped, "we all helped save the forest from Team Rocket and other Hunters and helped rescue Celebi, who then took Sammie back to his own time: Forty years in the past. It was really hard to say good-bye to him. We had gotten to be such good friends."

Ash shook his head, while everyone continued to gaze upon the boy.

"Why didn't you say something before, Sammie?" asked Ash.

"Would you have believed me?" asked Sammie, crossing his arms and cocking his eyebrow, "Also, use your common sense: Professor _Samuel_ Oak."

"Good point", muttered Ash, as Pikachu added a 'Chu' in agreement.

"I honestly had no idea that I'd ever meet you again until your mother was pregnant with you and told me what your name would be if you were a boy", said Sammie, "Small world, huh? And for the record", he continued, looking at Misty, Ash, and Pikachu, "It was really hard for me to say good-bye, too."

"But what happened to you?" whispered Daisy, who looked like she was going to pass out any minute now.

The next hour included an explanation on how the professor came to be. Many questions were asked, but not many answers were given. Sammie didn't really pay much attention, but amused himself by glancing outside out the window in the room and playing quietly with Pikachu. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer.

"Hey, Ash", said Sammie, interrupting the others, a smile forming mischievously on his young face, "Didn't we agree to a race or battle of some sorts if we ever met again?"

"I don't remem-", started Misty, but was interrupted by a sharp glance from Sammie.

"A race?" repeated Ash, who had already forgotten what was being discussed beforehand, his mind now racing with the urge for competition. Pikachu was already on Ash's shoulder, his mind set on winning.

"Sure", said Sammie, pleased that his idea for instant fun was working, "I assume you know how to 'Ride Race'?"  
"You bet!" said Ash, grinning at the idea of competition, while the others behind him were shaking his head at the idea that he was getting swindled for entertainment purposes by a ten year old.

"Great!" exclaimed Sammie, as he began to rush out the door, "Find a Pokémon and meet me in the field. I'll teach you how to race!"

"You'll teach me?" exclaimed Ash, who was truly insulted by the little boy's words, as he ran out the door.

_A few minutes later out on the field…._

Ash had his trusty Bayleaf, harnessed up and ready to race in the middle of one of the Oak Lab's large pastures'. Pikachu was being held by Misty, who was standing off to the side with the others.

"Where is he?" asked Ash, as he paced quickly, "I want to race already!"

"Cool it, Ash!" scolded Misty.

"Do you guys know how embarrassing this is?" groaned Beth.

"Wait, I think that's him", said Tracey, pointing towards the Lab at a small figure running towards them at high speed.

Sammie arrived seconds later, and bent over, placing his hands on his knees to regain his breath.

"Are you alright, Professor?" asked Bill, with concern at hearing the sound of the boy's huffing.

"Yeah, don't tell me you're tired already", mocked Ash.

Sammie picked his head up and looked at Ash through his brown hair, his chest heaving. A smile crossed his face.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, as he took out a Poke' Ball from his pocket and enlarged it.

"Gramps, are you sure you can do this?" asked Gary.

"I'll be fine, Gary", reassured Sammie, as he threw the ball.

It opened in a beam of white light to reveal a white, pony like creature with large amber eyes. Instead on a regular mane and tail, fire was in its place. It blinked shyly at the others.

"Meet 'Dash'", said Sammie, as he began to harness the Pokémon.

"Where did you get a Ponyta from?" asked Misty, as she examined the beautiful Pokémon in awe.

"It's the offspring of my Rapidash, 'Rapid'. He was from my original team", explained Sammie, as he adjusted a skateboard-like piece on his feet.

"You ready, Ash?" asked Sammie, with a hint of smugness.

"You bet!" said Ash, with confidence.

Both took their places at a make-shift starting line in the dirt.

"I guess I'll be referee", sighed Gary, as he took a place closer to the racers, but still off to the side.

"OK", said Gary, in a loud voice, "The rules of 'Ride Racing' are simple: Each competitor will race with one Pokémon throughout the race. The Trainers will be riding with their feet attached to a board, while holding on at the end of the harness. The first one to make a complete circle around the field and make it back here first wins. Any questions?"

Sammie raised his hand.

"Dirty play is allowed, right?" he asked.

"Grandpa!" said Daisy in shock, surprised that her grandfather would suggest an idea like that.

"What?" shrugged Sammie, looking innocent, "I want this to be interesting."

Ash grinned in agreement.

"Sure", sighed Gary, rolling his eyes, "but, if anyone gets hurt during the course of the race, myself, as well as others, will stop it immediately. Now, if the racers are ready…"

Sammie and Ash tensed in response, clutching the end of the harness.

"Hey, Ash, you hungry?" asked Sammie, with a smirk.

"Actually, I am", responded Ash.

"Well, get ready to eat my dust!"

"I can't believe you fell for that, Ash!" shouted Misty from the sideline, as Ash realized what had been said. He clenched his teeth in frustration.

"We'll see, you ol'-"began Ash, but was interrupted by Sammie clicking his tongue.

"Tsk, tsk, Ash", said Sammie, shaking his head, "trying to insult an old man? That's pretty low…."

"Why you-"

"OK, enough of the trash talking", said Gary, raising his arms, "On your mark…get set….GO!"

Both racers sped off in a blurred as they began to descend more into the wide, green pastures.

They went past a herd of Tauros and Milktank, nearly ran into a flock of Pidgey and Spearow, and scattered a crowd of Jumpluff and Skiploom. They were both neck in neck through it all.

"C'mon, Bayleaf!" shouted Ash, "You can do it!"

"You're about to see why I named my Ponyta, 'Dash'!" shouted Sammie, as he bent his knees and grabbed the corner of his board.

"Agility!" Sammie shouted at his Pokémon.

The Ponyta's hoof's seemed to light up, as it neighed and galloped at high speed, heading straight for a grassy steep hill, leaving Ash and Bayleaf in a cloud of dust.

"Is he crazy!" cried Beth, as she stood watching Sammie's stunt with the other's, "Charging at a hill that steep at a speed so fast….Gary, he'll crash!"

Gary had already grabbed at Poke' Ball from his belt. As he began to enlarge it, he gasped, along with the others.

Sammie had now leaned to the side some, his Ponyta charging even faster towards the top of the hill. Suddenly, it jumped, making himself and his rider airborne.

Gary watched, knowing it was too late to do anything but pray he wouldn't break his neck. He didn't.

Dash landed smoothly and without stopping on the other side of the hill, just as Ash and Bayleaf were making their way around it. Dash and Sammie ran straight to the finish line, beating Ash by about fifty feet, if not more.

The small crowd cheered, as Sammie was hugged fiercely by his granddaughter, who was doing her best not to cry out of joy from him making that jump alive.

"That was incredible, Professor!" cried Tracey.

"That was an awesome race, Sammie!" complemented Ash.

"But, it looked like you had done this before", Beth realized. The small crew all looked at Sammie, who was grinning sheepishly.

"Well, who do you think invented 'Ride Racing'?" he asked, with an innocent shrug.

-To be continued

Hope you all enjoyed it! I was wanting to put it up earlier, but I decided to add some details to make it more enjoyable. Advice and reviews would be much appreciated!  
Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4: Life of a Child Day 2

**Ch. 4: Life of a Child-Day 2**

The ten year old version of Professor Samuel Oak awoke the next morning and stretched. He smiled when he felt no pain in his joints from doing so. He hopped out of the bed and got dressed, mentally planning out his day. He decided that he was going to help out the others in keeping his identity a secret. They had agreed that he was to be a Trainer/Watcher from Johto, meaning that he would need a new team of Pokémon. Using the team he already had, some of whom were from his original team when he was actually ten years old, would look too suspicious. Therefore, he decided that today would be the day that he would start catching and training a whole new team.

He was awake before anyone else, so he enjoyed his breakfast cereal quietly as he sat by a window overlooking the ranch, thinking about his day.

"_Well, I already have Dash, so there's already a fire type on my team…" _thought Sammie, as he chewed slowly on his cereal, watching a flock of Pidgey fly off towards the forest from his window view, "_There's sure to be some Bug, Flying, Grass, and Normal types that would be easy to catch and train…."_

When he finished his breakfast, he placed his dirty dishes in the sink, made a quick stop to his office and grabbed six Poke' Balls from his desk drawer, and headed outside. Once he was a good distance away from his Lab, near a small, currently unoccupied pond, he tossed the Poke' Balls in the air, which momentarily blinded him from the light that erupted from them. He merely blinked: he was used to the feeling.

The six beasts that stood before him never ceased to make him wide-eyed at their presence. He eyed each one of them, using his Watcher skills to take in details of each of them. In the morning sunlight, they looked even more incredible.

One beast before him was sitting crossed-legged in midair, as if mediating. The tan, human like creature had a long beard, pointed ears, and a spoon in each hand. He looked at Sammie with one eye opened; staring as if he'd had been disturbed from its slumber and found him very annoying. It was obvious that he thought himself smarter than its Trainer, and Sammie couldn't really argue against that. He'd capture Alakazam when it was still just an Abra at the age of twelve, but despite the years they've been together, the Pokémon had always been vain of its intelligence, and for good reason.

The next Pokémon was also the only one in the pond. She looked up at Sammie with a dedicated and respected look in her old eyes. Despite her old age (Sammie had caught her when he was about to turn fourteen), she had a hardworking and determined air about her. The Pokémon looked like a large goldfish. She had a bright orange body with black markings that was dimed with age. Her large ruffled black and white fins made her look like royalty, which was only enhanced by her powerful looking horn in the middle of her head. Sammie had caught Seaking out of pure awe of the Pokémon's determined spirit.

The next Pokémon was the newest and youngest addition to the team, as well as the only one perched in a tree. She gazed upon the scene with a fierce look in her eyes, as if trying to find danger. The bird-type Pokémon had a brown and tan body, as well as red feathers on her rear and head, which made her, look scary. Her long, sharp talons and beak only supported that idea. Sammie remembered catching her on a wild hair one morning in Pallet Town before going off to Goldenrod City for an interview some years back. He had admired her fierce attitude, even when she was a Pidgey. Her fierce attitude only increased when she evolved into the Pidgeotto that was perched before him.

The Pokémon he next observed was also from his original team. The unicorn-like Pokémon looked at him with large, serious looking amber ayes. She still looked majestic, despite her age. The fire from her mane, tail, and legs gave her snow-white skin a soft glow, making her shine some in the morning light. The sharp horn at the middle of her head also glowed from the light. Sammie remembered the day he caught Rapidash, only she was a Ponyta then. He was around thirteen and was hiding in some bushes, trying to draw a Rapidash and Ponyta in mid-gallop, a very hard task. The Ponyta he later caught stood out to him because of her competiveness to race almost everything she saw.

He turned his head to the next Pokémon, who looked very odd sitting on her bottom, partially because of her big and bulky physique. This one looked at him with large, kind, and intelligent hunter-green eyes. She had orange scales with a tan underbelly, with large orange and blue wings attached to her back. The tan antennas on her head twitched with curiosity. Sammie had remembered catching Dragonite when he was only a small and frightened Dratini at what was now the Safari Zone. Sammie was ten at the time and felt a close connection to the shy Pokémon. Both had lost a parent. For Sammie, it was his father; for the Dratini, her mother. Both grew up with each other, learning how to compensate for such a loss at such a young age. Sammie had always been thankful for a friend who understood his pain.

The next Pokémon was the oldest and the oldest team member, as well as Sammie's powerhouse Pokémon. Even lying down, he looked bigger than the rest of Sammie's team. The beast looked at Sammie with his huge, blue eyes; staring at him with a mixture of wisdom and power. The creature was lying on his stomach, resting his large head on its sharp claws, his fangs glistening in the morning sun. He had orange scales that were slightly rustic looking from age and had his large wings folded against its body. His enormous tail circled around itself, a large, bright flame flickering from its end. Sammie took more time to reminisce over Charizard then the others.

After seeing his father die from an accident involving a charging Rhydon when he was six, he turned icy and cold to the world. He barely spoke or ate; he was just constantly leaving his house to get away from all the pain. Half the time, he didn't know where he was going, how long he'd been gone, and where he had just come from. His mother, who had witnessed the accident, too, did all she could to help her young son, but to no avail. One evening a few months after the accident, Sammie was running at full speed through a downpour. He was crying from fright of the storm and from the pain he felt within. A bolt of lightning had hit a nearby branch, which caused Sammie to fall head first into a large bush. He remembered the tears running uncontrollably down his dirty face as he hid under the bush, watching the storm terrorize the forest. It was then that he heard what sounded like crying to him. After crawling around under the bushes, he discovered a small and fragile looking Charmander, shivering from the cold, trying to protect the weak flame from the end of its tail.

"It's okay…" Sammie had remembered whispering to the tiny Pokémon, as it flinched when he reached for him, "I'm scared too. But we can help each other."

Sammie remembered how his questioning eyes looked at him, trying to decide whether or not to trust him. That only made Sammie reach out more to him. Cautiously, the small creature scooted itself up next to Sammie, as the young boy wrapped his arm around him. They waited like that under the bush for what seemed like hours, while the storm roared on. Finally, the heavy rain came to a drizzle, then a few rays of sunlight appeared. The storm was at last over. Sammie had taken the Charmander home and with the help of his mother, nursed it back to health. From that moment, they were nearly inseparable.

Sammie smirked at the memory.

The Pokémon looked at Sammie with curiosity, especially those who knew him during his childhood. The Dragonite inclined her head slightly in confusion.

"_Samuel?"_ the creature asked through Telekinesis, "_Is that you?"_

"Yep, Tini, it's me", Sammie replied, smiling softly.

Tini closed her eyes in concentration, and then opened them. At that point, Sammie could understand what his Pokémon were saying, despite the fact they were speaking in their native tongue. Sammie had found out Tini's special ability years back when she evolved into a Dragonite. He told no one, for fear of what the scientific world would do to her. They were able to improve her ability through years of practice.

"_I don't understand, Sammie",_ said the Charizard, lifting his head up to examine him more clearly, "_How did you turn young again?"_

"_A bit obvious isn't it?" _remarked Alakazam, shaking his head and cocking his eyebrow some, "_Science experiment gone wrong, I presume?"_

"_Or an imposter!"_ said the Pidgeotto fiercely, ruffling her feathers and flapping her wings at the thought, "_What have you done with our Professor, you egg smasher? Tell us, or I shall rip you limb from limb to the point that not even those nasty Fearow would want to eat you!"_

"Relax, Pigeon, it's me!" said Sammie quickly, holding up his hands in defense.

"_Prove it, or start running",_ said the Rapidash, as she dug her front hoof into the ground threateningly, "_I don't play games when it comes to the safety of my Trainer. My love for him burns too much to do such a foolish thing. Now, do you want a head start, or not? It wouldn't do you any good anyway."_

"_Violence solves nothing, Rapid!"_ rang the shrill, commanding voice of the Seaking, "_The boy most certainly seems like our Trainer, when he was much younger. I'm sure that there is a nonviolent way to handle this."_

"_Nonviolent, my rear claw!" _growled the Charizard, glaring at the group, "_I know this is him! If anyone so much as lays a fin, feather, hoof, or claw on him, I'll tear you to shreds!"_

"_What about me, Char?"_ smirked the Alakazam in amusement.

"_Or spoons!"_ Char snapped, swinging his large head in the Pokémon's direction.

"_Oh, dear", _sighed Tini, as she began to massage her temples. She had always been a gentle Pokémon and hated arguing.

"Everyone, please listen!" said Sammie loudly, waving his arms to grab everyone's attention. They all focused their eyes on him.

"Abe is right", said Sammie, motioning towards the Alakazam, who grinned in recognition, "There was an accident. I was turned into a child, quite apparently-"

"_Were you hurt?" _asked the Seaking, looking at him with concern.

"I'm just fine, Queenie", smiled Sammie lovingly down at her.

"_Are you going to stay like this forever?"_ asked Pigeon.

"Nothing is certain, yet, but we are working on it."

"_What are you going to do?"_ asked Tini.  
"That's why I'm here", replied Sammie, "I wanted to discuss some decisions that were made about what to do with my current condition. Due to the uproar that this is sure to bring about, were the scientific community to hear of my current state, it has been agreed to keep this all as secretive as possible. It would look too suspicious if I used the exact same team of Pokémon as the older version of myself did. I know that nowadays I don't battle often, but there are some people who would remember my battling days and they would ask questions. With that being said, it has been decided that I catch and train a new team for the time being."

"_You're getting rid of us?" _asked Rapid, hanging her head.

"That's absolutely ridiculous, Rapid!" exclaimed Sammie, upset that his beloved Pokémon would even consider that an option, "No, I'll never get rid of any of you. I love you all too much. For the time being, I was wondering if any of you would consider going to my residence in Sinnoh for some R&R?"

"_Sounds great to me!"_ said Queenie, splashing happily.

"_Me too!" _added Pigeon, ruffling her feathers in pleasure, as the rest of the group gave their comments of approval.

"Then it's settled!" said Sammie, clasping his hands in agreement, "You all will be relaxing happily at my place in Sinnoh by this evening!"

With that, and with cries of 'good-byes' and 'I'll miss you!', Sammie returned all of his Pokémon back to their Poke' Balls'. All but one returned to their ball.

"_There's something you're not telling us",_ said Char, looking straight into the boy's eyes', his deep voice filling in the awkward silence left by the group before.

"You know me too well, Char", sighed Sammie, as he settled himself next to the large creature's side. He sighed as he leaned back by his side, lifting his head and closing his eyes, letting his face bask in the morning sun.

"_What is it, Sammie?" _asked Char quietly, after a moment of silence.

"We don't know the affects of the energy I was hit with", murmured Sammie in reply, "That's mostly why I don't want you all here. We don't know what's going to happen or how or what I will remember. I don't want my dearest friends to see me that way."

"_Staying and enduring this with you is what dearest friends are supposed to do."_

Sammie gulped hard, trying to keep tears from forming in his eyes.

"I just don't want you all to be hurt in all this", said Sammie.

All was silent, except Char's heavy breathing.

"_I think I understand", _nodded Char, slowly, "_I'll miss you."_

"I'll miss you, too"

"_Need any help catching a new team?"_

"Nah. I've got Dash to help me out. I'm just going to stick with a beginner team. Besides, I couldn't ask you to help; I know how much you hate battling against an opponent weaker than you."

"_I'd battle an army of Pichu for you, Sammie."_

"I know you would", laughed Sammie, wiping a tear that had escaped down his cheek.  
Sammie turned to see Char looking at him, a large tear running down his own face. Sammie rushed up and wrapped his arms around his trunk-like neck.

"I love you, Char!" said Sammie, squeezing his eyes tight to try to keep more tears from running down his face.

"_I love you too, Sammie",_ Char replied.

In a flash of red light, Char was gone. He had returned himself back to his Poke' Ball. Sammie wiped his face clean of any more tears, then ran back to his lab, transferring his team to his other residence, then grabbing six new Poke' Balls that he kept stored in a cabinet for new Trainers, as well as the one that contained Dash. He also got his bag that he had packed the night before that was sitting on a nearby counter. He exited his lab once again with fierce determination and ran towards Route One, the sun blazing on his new path.

As soon as he felt he was far enough away from Pallet Town, he walked, looking around in all directions for any signs of Pokémon.

"Well, let's see", he murmured to himself, "Its morning, so there surely has to be either some Pokémon waking up to get breakfast, or some nocturnal Pokémon that are about to head back to their homes' to go to sleep."

He crouched down, placing his fingers gently on top of the earth, and closed his eyes in concentration. He remembered from his Watcher days that by eliminating one sense would elevate the others. That technique helped him catch Pokémon on many occasions.

After a few minutes of being in that position, he felt a small, almost unnoticeable padding movement, as if someone was drumming their fingers against the ground. Sammie opened his eyes as the sound got louder, indicating that whatever was walking was walking his way. Sammie stood up as slowly and silently as he could, his eyes fixed on the place where he expected the creature to come to, his fingers brushing slightly on the surface of Dash's Poke' Ball that was clipped to his belt.

Moments later, a drowsy looking Oddish appeared from a patch of high grass, not seeming to notice Sammie watching it. Sammie knew that the weed-like Pokémon was nocturnal and was looking for a place to sleep, as well as hide from its enemies. Sammie couldn't blame it; it was so small, so it was often taunted by bigger Pokémon. It could be seen during the day easily, it's small round, purple body and small, round, and red eyes made it stand out. It had short legs and no arms, so battling wasn't really an option for most cases with this Pokémon. The leaves that grew on the top of its head were its best protection. It provided great camouflage.

"This should be an easy catch", thought Sammie, as he lowered his hand away from Dash's Poke' Ball, and slowly crept his hand inside his bag. The Oddish noticed his reaction and began running in the opposite direction. But it was too slow.

Sammie had brought out a Poke' Flute from his bag and began to play a sweet melody. The Oddish stopped in mid-step, teetering sleepily on one foot, its small eyes drooping. After a moment of playing, it fell backwards, fast asleep. Sammie placed the flute back in his bag and took out an unoccupied Poke' Ball. He tossed it at the Oddish, who disappeared into it in a flash of red light. The ball fell lightly to the ground shaking, with the white button in the middle blinking red. Sammie held his breath. After a moment, the ball stopped shaking and the blinking stopped too. The Oddish was caught.

"Alright!" exclaimed Sammie, as he fetched the ball, smiling triumphantly. He was very proud of himself of catching the Oddish in such a nonviolent way. He tried to avoid battle, unless it was for sport. Sammie placed the Oddish's ball next to Dash's and continued searching for more Pokémon.

"Two down, four to go", thought Sammie happily to himself.

He continued down the dusty road, searching for more Pokémon. Suddenly, three bird-like Pokémon swooped down from behind him and pecked him on the head.

"Gah!" exclaimed Sammie, as he covered his head trying to block more oncoming blows. He was able to see what was attacking him: a flock of angry Spearow. Sammie knew better than to judge the small Pokémon by their size.

"_I must've gotten too close to their territory", _thought Sammie, as he tried to run for cover from the growing number of attacking Spearow, "_But, none of these Spearow are the leader of the flock. The leader is the one controlling all this, the only one that can make them stop. If I can defeat the leader, then they'll back off for good. Where could-Uh-oh…"_

He halted in mid-run, staring up at a huge bird-like Pokémon that had emerged from a large, nearby tree.

"FEAROW!" it cried through its long beak.

"_There's the leader!"_ thought Sammie, as he frantically snatched Dash's Poke' Ball and threw it.

Dash appeared in front of Sammie in a flash of white light.

"Fire Spin!" shouted Sammie, as it ducked to avoid another attack.

Dash neighed as a swirl of fire erupted from its mouth, torching the Spearows closest to Sammie. The toasted Spearows, as well as those who were scared, retreated back to their nests, as Dash placed himself protectively in front of Sammie. The Fearow and the remaining Spearow's flapped their wings in annoyance, as the Fearow advanced threateningly towards Sammie and Dash. It suddenly sped towards Dash, its long beak glowing and spinning.

"Take Down!" commanded Sammie.

Dash tackled the Fearow in a grand and complicated maneuver, causing it to veer off its course and to wobble in its flight upward.

"Ember!" cried Sammie, as soon as he saw that the Fearow was flying upward over Dash. Dash lifted his head and released a powerful blaze from its mouth, scorching the Fearow. The burnt Pokémon flew unsteadily away, the remainder of its flock following it.

"Not so fast!" muttered Sammie fiercely, as he tossed an empty Poke' Ball at one of the burnt Spearow that had stayed throughout the battle. The ball engulfed the Pokémon and fell to the ground with a small 'thud', shaking violently. Sammie waited with baited breath; the Spearow was putting up a good fight. After a long moment, the Poke' Ball quit shaking, which meant that the Spearow was caught. Sammie grinned proudly as he placed the Poke' Ball next to his Oddish.

"Great job, Dash! Return!" said Sammie, returning Dash to his ball.

"_Three more to go", _thought Sammie happily, as he glanced at his watch. He gave a slight gasp at the time: it was now 2:30 in the evening.

"Beth's gonna kill me!" said Sammie to himself, as he released Dash from his ball and hopped onto his back in one swift motion. Sammie couldn't help but be impressed with himself; it had been many years since he'd been able to do anything swiftly.

"To the lab!" ordered Sammie, wrapping his arms around Dash's neck.

The Pokémon gave a neigh as it sped off towards the lab, kicking up dust on the road. Sammie quickly learned that despite his new found swiftness, he still had a lot to relearn about riding. He held on for dear life, too terrified to squeeze his eyes shut, his stomach feeling queasy from the fast passing scenery. He gave a cry as Dash leapt over two small girls, who covered their heads and screamed in fright. His stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch as they landed.

"Sorry!" he cried back to the girls, as they glared angrily at them.

Sammie buried his head in Dash's flaming mane, trying to find a more comfortable position to ride. No such luck, the urge to barf only increased. He gritted his teeth and tightened his hold around Dash's neck as they sped past a teenage boy who was training his Sandslash in the middle of the dirt road.

"Hey! Watch it kid!" shouted the teen in rage, as he and his Pokémon jumped out of the way.

"Sorry!" Sammie shouted back.

After what seemed like an eternity to Sammie, but was actually about seven minutes, Dash came to a stop to the back of the lab. Sammie fell off at the sudden stop and shakily picked himself back up, wiping the dirt off his pants.

"I remember being much better at riding when I was my age…" murmured Sammie, as he rubbed his sore rear. He looked about, hoping the coast was clear so that he may sneak back into his room and pretend to have slept real late. He knew what Beth would say if she found him now…

"WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN?" came the actual shout of the voice Sammie imagined in his head. Sammie froze with fright, his back turned against the very upset Beth. He looked at Dash for some form of support, but the Pokémon just gave Sammie a look of sympathy before returning itself back to its Poke' Ball in a flash of red light.

"Traitor!" hissed Sammie through his teeth at Dash's Poke' Ball.

He turned slowly towards Beth, hoping that his new youthful appearance would give him some extra help in cooling down her temper. By the angry look on her face, he knew that he would need all the help he could get. He attempted to make his expression as young, innocent, and thoughtful as possible. He tried to copy the same look his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have all given him at one point or another once he had caught them in the middle of some wrong doing.

"Oh, don't even try the Poochyena eyes on me!" snapped Beth, as she looked down on him, her hands on her hips, "Where have you been?"

"Well, I thought that I would help us all with the whole 'disguise idea', so I went out to catch some Pokémon and lost track of time", explained Sammie. At that moment, his stomach growled, causing him to turn red and laugh nervously, as he placed his hands over his stomach. Beth rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Fine, I'll let you off the hook this time", she said, as Sammie sighed in relief, "but, next time, please tell one of us here. We were worried that you mentally turned into a child and wandered off. There is a grilled cheese sandwich for you on the kitchen counter", she said, jerking her head towards the lab.

"Won't happen again!" said Sammie, as he ran towards the lab.  
-End of Ch.4


	5. Chapter 5: Life of a ChildDay 3

**Ch.5: Life of a Child-Day 3**

Beth walked into one of the Oak Lab's many study rooms', where she found Professor Gary Oak typing away at the computer, piles of books and charts littered around him, the computer screen full of complicated formulas, which Beth recognized to be formulas used in the aging processes in their experiment. She walked quietly up behind him.

"Any luck?" she asked, as she observed the screen.

"Nope," Gary sighed, as he sat back and rubbed his eyes, "What's Grandpa doing?"

"I've got him doing brushing and feeding duty," she answered, "You know, you really need to stop referring to him as 'Grandpa'. What if you accidentally made a slip like that in public?"

"I know," Gary sighed again, as he buried his face in his hands, his drooped shoulders looking as if he were carrying the world. Beth placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You're real worried, aren't you?" she whispered, more as a statement than a question.

He nodded and slowly turned to look at her, his eyes showing sign of poor sleep and worry.

"It's the knowledge that we honestly have no idea what will happen to him," Gary whispered, his voice cracking, "I mean, that man literally raised Daisy and myself. Whenever I was afraid or hurt, he was there. Whenever I needed advice or just a comforting word, he was there. Whenever I needed affection or maybe just someone to tell me I'm not all high and mighty, he was right there. He cheered me on better than any of those cheerleaders' that followed me when I was younger. I just don't know what I'd do without him, especially if it was all because of me."

He uttered the last words with difficulty and buried his head in his hands once more.

"Gary," muttered Beth in shock. She had no idea that he felt this way, "You can't blame yourself! Nothing hasn't happened yet, we're still doing all we can. This fight hasn't been lost yet, there's still hope!"

Gary smirked and gave a dry laugh.

"You've been hanging around Grandpa for too long," he remarked.

"Perhaps I have," agreed Beth, "But you know what the professor would have to say now?"

"I REFUSE TO LOSE!" the young, pre-teen version of Professor Samuel Oak shouted at his teenage opponent, who was sneering with glee at the way their battle was turning out. It was a very sticky situation for the young Oak, who had challenged his current opponent to a one-on-one Pokémon battle. His opponent, B.J., had used Nidorino, the purple poison pin Pokémon. It was very hostile and fast, the poisonous barbs on its back bristled with the thrill of fighting Sammie's poor Oddish, who was small to begin with, but looked completely minuscule compared to the beast attacking it.

"ODDISH!" the small Pokémon shouted in fright, as it dodged yet another Poison Sting Attack from the Nidorino.

"I told you from the beginning that that puny Pokémon didn't stand a chance," B.J. laughed.

"Size doesn't mean anything!" Sammie shouted back, but truthfully, he was beginning to think that using Oddish wasn't a very good idea.

"Peck Attack!" shouted B.J.

Nidorino rushed towards Oddish, the horn on his head lowered.

"Dodge it!" commanded Sammie, desperate to help Oddish.

The small Pokémon managed to dodge the attack at the last second.

"_She's getting tired," _Sammie thought, trying to come up with an idea to help his Oddish, 'Oddball', "_She's running low on energy. What do-WAIT! That's it!"_

"Use Absorb!" Sammie cried, as a smile formed on his face.

"Oddish!" Oddish shouted, as she jumped up and released yellow orbs from her leaves that hit Nidorino. The poison pin Pokémon wobbled on his feet from the attack, as Oddish landed on her feet, looking stronger and more confidant.

"What?" B.J. gasped looking stunned at this sudden turn of events. He shook his head in frustration, "Use Horn Attack!"

"Use Stun Powder!" Sammie shouted.

As Nidorino charged towards Oddish, she jumped up and released a thick yellow powder from her leaves that engulfed Nidorino. As the powder faded, it revealed Nidorino, stiff as a statue, his position stuck in mid-run, his mouth opened, his eyes darting nervously about.

"Now, finish this battle off with Acid!" cried Sammie, unable to hide his smile.  
Oddish released a series of purple bubbles at Nidorino, which exploded, sending him back about forty feet. Nidorino fainted. The battle was over.

"We did it!" shouted Sammie, as he jumped up in excitement. He ran out onto the field and embraced Oddish, who was staring wide-eyed at her fallen opponent in disbelief.

"I do not believe this!" said B.J., shaking his head, as he returned his Nidorino back to his Poke' Ball.

Sammie returned Oddish back to her ball, and then walked towards B.J., extending his hand to shake his.

"That was great!" said Sammie, "I thought you had me there a few times."

"I did too," said B.J., still shaking his head, "I'm impressed. I have to hand it to you Johto Trainers', your better than I give you credit for."

"Thanks!" Sammie said, prideful of his victory. He and B.J. gave their farewells and B.J. departed.

"Hey! That was a great battle!" came a voice from behind Sammie.

He turned to see three girls who looked around ten years old come towards him. The one that he assumed spoke to him seemed to be the leader of the group, as she was walking ahead of the two other girls. The two followers included a girl with straight black hair to her shoulders with blue eyes and freckles. She wore a hair clip that pinned her hair out of her eyes and donned a pink and white striped spaghetti tank top and pink shorts and sandals. The other follower included a perky looking dirty blond girl with big green eyes. She had her hair up in a pony tail that was held together in place by a yellow ribbon. She wore a sleeveless hoodie that was white except for the hood, which sky blue. She also had on khaki cargo pants with white flip flops. But, it was the leader that caught his eye. She was taller than the other two with waist length light brown hair with a blue head band that came to the side of her neck in a big bow. She had light blue eyes and wore a white t-shirt with a blue breast pocket and blue sleeves and a blue skirt with white length socks and blue tennis shoes.

"_She's really pretty,"_ Sammie noticed. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the idea, "_Get a hold of yourself, Sammie! You're technically old enough to be her great-grandfather! But she is really pretty….Uh! Sammie!"_

"Hi!" greeted the leader, as she gave a little wave, "My name is Sky. This is Megan," she motioned towards the dark haired girl, who gave a shy smile, "And this is Lindsey," she said as she motioned to the perky blond, who responded with an energetic 'Hi!' and wave.

"H-hi!" stuttered Sammie, as he felt his face burn red, trying to keep his composure.

The girls behind Sky giggled, as she continued to smile kindly.

"So, aren't you going to tell me your name?" asked Sky.

"Oh, yeah! My name!" stammered Sammie again, struggling to keep his cool. His attempt caused more giggling from Lindsey and Megan, "My name is Samu-no, wait! It's Sammie! My name is Sammie!"

His response set off another fit of giggles from the followers, and a small chuckle from Sky.

"My friends and I saw the battle between you and B.J.," said Sky, "You said you were from Johto, right?"

"Y-yeah!" responded Sammie, trying to remember the story he and the others had agreed on.

"From where in Johto?"

"Uh…"

"_Way to go, genius," _Sammie mentally scolded himself, "_You forgot to think of a hometown!"_

"Forget where you're from?" asked Sky, with amusement, as the girls behind her continued snickering.

"What? No!" said Sammie, trying to defend himself, "I'm from….Goldenrod! Yeah! Goldenrod City!"

"Oh, where DJ Mary does her radio talk show? I love Mary!"

"Me too!" piped up Lindsey, "My favorite is her 'Trainer Talks'."

"I like her stories," added Megan shyly.

"I personally like that show that she does with Professor Oak," said Sky.

"Gary or Samuel?" asked Lindsey.

"Samuel, he sounds more professional than his grandson."

"Really?" said Sammie, flattered by her comment, "Why, thank-," he stopped himself in mid-sentence when he realized his mistake.

"_Sammie, you are such an idiot…"_

"What was that?" questioned Sky, as the girls gave him a puzzled look.

"Uh…," stammered Sammie, quickly trying to smooth over his mistake, "I meant 'I think so, too'. Heheh…"

"You're a fan of the older Oak, too?" Sky asked with enthusiasm, "You know, ever since his grandson, Gary, came on the scene when he became a professor, younger fans have been favoring him, but I've always been a fan of the older Oak."

"Is that right?" grinned Sammie, his ears turning pink.

"I say 'out with the old and in with the new'!" said Lindsey, "The old Oak may have a face made for radio, but that young Oak has a face made for T.V., magazines, anywhere where I can get a glimpse of those gorgeous brown eyes!"

She gave a 'girlyfied' squeal, which Megan responded with an irritated sigh and Sky rolled her eyes.

"You do understand that he is happily married with two kids, right?" Sammie said irritably through gritted teeth. He decided that he very much disliked Lindsey.

"Hey! Quit ruining my daydream!" scolded Lindsey.

"Don't mind her," said Sky, shaking her head as though this was routine for her friend, "She always goes for older guys…."

"It's kinda creepy," Megan said quietly.

"So," said Sky, trying to change subjects, "Have you ever met DJ Mary or Professor Samuel Oak? I mean, they do that show all the time in Goldenrod and I know that the professor talks to the fans before and after the shows."

"Oh, I know Mary quite well," responded Sammie, "and let's just say that me and Professor Oak go way back."

"Really?" said Sky in awe, as she stepped forward in a small step, her eyes widening.

"_She smells nice, too…Gah! Sammie, stop acting like a dirty old man!"_

"That's so cool!" Sky replied in envy, "I would love to meet Professor Oak one day. I was hoping to meet him when I got my first Pokémon, but he was on another island doing some research, so Professor Ivy was the one who gave me and my friends our first Pokémon."

"So, you all are Trainer's too?" asked Sammie, now noticing the Poke' Balls hanging at their waists'.

"Yep!" nodded Sky, "My friends and I travel together. We all started a few months ago, but we returned to Pallet Town to see our families. "

"You look kinda young", said Lindsey loudly, "We're all ten, but how old are you?"

"I'm ten," said Sammie, his face blushing some at his lie.

"_Well, it's not technically a lie…"_

"Really?" Sky asked, her eyes widening some in shock, "By the way you battled, you seem way more experienced than a new Trainer. The way you turned that battle around, it was like you've been battling for years."

"Heheh…"Sammie chuckled nervously, his face blushing more.

"_Oh, you have no idea, my dear…"_

"What are you doing here?" asked Lindsey.

"I'm staying at the Oak Lab to study Pokémon," Sammie recited from the story he and the others had created, "I'm also a Watcher."

"Wow! A Watcher too? That's so awesome!" exclaimed Sky.

"_I love the way her eyes light up like that when she gets excited…Ah! Get a grip on yourself, Sammie!" _

"There you are!" said a voice from behind him.

He turned to see Beth and Tracey walk towards the small group.

"What have you been doing?" asked Beth.

"Yeah, we've been looking for you for nearly two hours," said Tracey.

"Oh, I was talking to some new friends. Meet Sky, Megan, and Lindsey," Sammie said, motioning towards the three girls.

"Hi!" they said in unison.

"Hi, I'm Tracey," greeted Tracey.

"I'm Beth," added Beth.

"Sky was just telling me what a big fan she is of Professor Samuel Oak," said Sammie, with a sneaky grin to Tracey and Beth.

"Oh, really?" Beth said, cocking her eyebrow at Sammie.

"Do you know the professor too?" asked Sky.

"A bit too well…"said Beth, her eyes narrowing at Sammie, who in turn, glared back.

"Beth and I are both Professor Oak's assistants'," said Tracey.

"Oh, really?" asked Sky, impressed, "That would be so awesome! Helping the professor in ground breaking research, so cool! The news said that he was in Sinnoh studying climate effects. Do you know when he'll be back?"

"We're not too sure," said Beth, trying to avoid Sammie eyes.

"It should be pretty soon, though," added Tracey to Sammie encouragingly.

"No offense, girls," said Beth, trying to get out of this conversation, "But this is a private area. I don't want you all to get in trouble for trespassing."

"Oh, we didn't know," said Sky.

"We have to go anyway," said Lindsey.

"Yeah, bye," added Megan, as she and Lindsey began to leave.

Beth and Tracey turned to leave, leaving Sammie and Sky still standing there. She motioned for Sammie to move closer. He blushed and did so.

"Can you meet me here tomorrow a bit before sunset, alone?" she whispered.

Sammie shivered at the feel of her warm, sweet breath, the fragrance from her hair that slightly brushed against his cheek. He ran his tongue between his dry lips and swallowed. His heartbeat pulsed through his body, heat radiating through him.

"S-sure," he managed, his tongue forming the words like glue.

"Great!" she said, stepping back, her blue eyes shining "Bring your Pokémon too, ok?"

"O-ok!" he said his pulse quickening.

"Sky!" came the voice of Lindsey.

"Sammie!" called Beth.

"Bye," she whispered to Sammie, as she turned and walked off towards her group with a small wave.

"Bye," he muttered back with a shaky wave, his eyes watching her dainty movements, very much enjoying the back view as much as the front.

"_She's so pretty….Knock it off, Sammie!"_ he mentally scolded herself, shaking his head, "_You're an old man! You were married for thirty-eight years, you have two sons, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren…you need to control yourself!"_

He sighed and ran to catch up with Beth and Tracey.

"Why are you so red, Professor?" asked Tracey, as Sammie caught up with them.

"Uh…it's nothing…," he replied quickly, his face getting redder.

"_If Beth finds out about Sky, she'll go berserk!"_

"Nothing?" asked Beth suspiciously, as she eyed Sammie's red face. She grabbed his hand with one of hers and with the other felt his forehead.

"What are you doing?" shouted Sammie in anger.

Beth recoiled her hands, crossing them over her chest, her eyes narrowing.

"Sweaty palms, rapid and heavy pulse, blushed face," she shook her head as she listed his symptoms.

"Are you sick, Professor?" asked Tracey, blinking his eyes in concern.

"You moron!" Beth snapped at Tracey, who flinched, "He has a crush on one of those girls!"

"Eww….you do?" questioned Tracey, looking at Sammie in shock.

"N-no! I don't!" defended Sammie, "Maybe it's just an allergic reaction. Sky had on a fragrance I didn't recognize."

"How would you know?" Beth snapped, turning her rage fully on him, "Did she come up close to you or something? I don't remember smelling her fragrance, and I was standing the same distance away from her as you."

"I…uh…," stammered Sammie, trying to come up with some excuse.

"This is just perfect!" groaned Beth, massaging her temples. She looked back down at Sammie.

"Look," she said, trying to remain calm, "we aren't sure about much of anything right now, but one thing is for certain; you're mental and emotional settings are very fragile. We need to tell Gary about this."

"What?" exclaimed Sammie, his face turning pale, "No! We can't! I was married to his grandmother for thirty-eight years before she passed! He'll think I don't love her anymore, but I do! I really do! Please, Beth!"

"Wow," whispered Tracey in awe, "Thirty-eight years?"

"And not one that I would ever regret," added Sammie, hoping for his support, "I'm just confused! I don't know, but I'll do anything, just please don't tell Gary!"

Beth studied him for a moment.

"Fine," she said with a defeated sigh, "Just stay away from her. The last thing we need is a love-struck pre-teen boy."

"I promise!" agreed Sammie quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly….  
-To be continued

Not a very good chapter in my opinion, but I needed something that would help explain the next chapter. I hope that you all enjoyed it, nonetheless. As said many times before, reviews are very much appreciated!

~Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6: Young Hearts

**Ch.6: Young Hearts**

"_Sorry Beth….,"_ thought Sammie, looking back at the lab that was basking in the evening light.

He started away, his bag on his back and his Poke' Balls at his waist. It was about an hour until the sunset and Sammie was going to meet Sky where they had agreed the day before. He had assured himself that it was the only noble thing to do, since he had promised Sky. If anything, he was a man, well, boy, of his word….somewhat….He did feel awful about lying to Beth. Despite her frank attitude and short temper, she was very kind and caring and had helped Sammie out a lot, both as a man and boy.

"_I'll make it back up to her someday…I promise!"_ he swore to himself, confident on keeping this promise to her.

He was, after all, a man, well, boy, of his word. That was something he had always prided himself on. He tried to block Beth's hurtful sounding tone from his mind and the way her face would first turn shocked, then angry, then worried, if almost fearful, when she discovered that he was gone and had broken his promise to her. The thought made him sick to his stomach. He'd always hated hurting people. He tried to focus his mind on more pleasant things, like Sky's fragrance, her charming smile, her rosy cheeks, the way her eyes seemed to light up when she was excited, her sweet breath, the way she walked….

"_Mind out of the gutter, Sammie, mind out of the gutter…," _he reminded himself.

Since he was a scientist, he had done some personal research on his current state. He believed that strong emotions on certain things made him react accordingly. For example, when he spoke with Gary, he was 'Grandpa', the sixty-five year old scientist, who just happened to look like his ten year old self. When he was with Sky or watching cartoons, he was the ten year old Sammie. He was very confused. He understood when he was 'acting his age', but he couldn't really control it. He didn't know if it was the energy taking effect (he shuttered at the thought) or if his sixty-five mental state was trying to 'go with the flow' on this whole 'suddenly younger' thing. One thing was for certain; he appreciated the younger generations. He forgot how hard it was growing up! Weird emotions, mood swings without any reason, the need to 'fit in'….it made his head spin. His mind cleared suddenly when he found Sky sitting on a stump, watching the landscape. She hadn't noticed his presence, so he took advantage of the moment, appreciating her beauty, the way the evening sun seemed to make her glow with a dim orange light. After a moment of watching her, he took a noisy step forward to announce his arrival.

"Sammie!" she gasped with a small jump as she turned quickly, her hair billowing out behind her at the movement. Sammie chuckled. He had startled her.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said softly, as he sat beside her on the bench.

Though his heart was still fluttering, he noticed that he wasn't nearly as nervous as he was yesterday. Perhaps that was because her friends weren't around, which brought yet another scientific question to his head: Why must girls always travel in packs? To the bathroom, mall, everywhere! Don't they ever get sick of each other? Surely they do. But, alas, Sammie decided to save that age-old question for another, less distracting day.

"Did you bring your Pokémon?" asked Sky.

"I did," replied Sammie.

"Shall we?" asked Sky, holding up four Poke' Balls.

"We shall," answered Sammie, grinning as he grabbed the three Poke' Balls from his waist.

In a flash of light, the Trainer's called forth their companions. Sammie examined Sky's as she studied his.

The first one he noticed was the one that he assumed to be Sky's first Pokémon. Sammie recognized it as the evolution of Squirtle, Wartortle. The turtle-type Pokémon was a light blue and purple, its shell a light tan on its underbelly and brown on its back. It stood on its hind legs and seemed very vain about its large light blue tail, which was covered in a thick, beautiful fur. It had red eyes and wing-like light blue ears, the small fangs that came out of the side of its mouth gave the Pokémon a threatening look.

The second Pokémon looked like a very small, blue baby elephant. It had two orange strips on each of its ears and one on its trunk. When the Phanpy noticed Sammie, it smiled and lifted its trunk in greetings, which Sammie returned with a small wave of his hand.

The next Pokémon was a small, blue bird type with white, cotton-like wings. It had a white beak and feet with two large feathers on its head. 'Swablu!" it sang, as it saw Sammie.

The last Pokémon on Sky's team was one that Sammie recognized as Pachirisu, the electric squirrel type Pokémon. It was a small, white creature with a blue strip that started from it forehead, covered its ears, ran down its back, and ended at the end of its huge, fluffy tail. Its tail had three spikes on its tail and it had yellow cheeks, buck teeth and large brown eyes.

"_A team that really suits Sky,"_ thought Sammie with a smile.

"You have an awesome team!" complimented Sky, who was already making friends with them. Sammie had to hold back a laugh at the sight.

His Spearow was perched on her shoulder, Oddish was being cradled in one of her arms, while her other arm was free to stroke Dash's head.

"You really have a way with Pokémon," said Sammie, as he walked up to her.

"Thanks," she said, as she turned towards her team and set down Sammie's Oddish.

"Meet the team!" she said, motioning grandly at her Pokémon, "This is Bubbles," she said as she motioned to the Wartortle, "Ella," she pointed to Phanpy, "Tru," she nodded her head at Swablu, "And Sue!" she finished motioning towards Pachirisu. They all greeted Sammie accordingly.

"Hello, everyone!" greeted Sammie, "Let me introduce my team, this is Spear," he nodded his head towards the Spearow, "Oddball," he motioned towards the Oddish, "and Dash," he placed his hand on Dash's side.

"You nickname your Pokémon, too?" asked Sky, excitedly, "You know, most people just call their Pokémon by their Poke' name, but I like to give my Pokémon names because I think its gives them more individuality."

"I think so, too," agreed Sammie, "Though, your way better at naming than I am."

"You're too sweet," giggled Sky.

They sat back down on the stump as their Pokémon got acquainted with each other.

"I love watching sunsets," sighed Sky, as she watched the horizon, unblinking.

"Me too," replied Sammie, trying to keep his eyes on the horizon on not on Sky's sun drenched face. Easier said than done.

The giant orange ball on the horizon was now halfway hidden beyond the grassy landscape, and was slowly sinking lower. The Pokémon had stopped frolicking and had settled themselves on the grass, their eyes shining from the light from the sunset. Sammie couldn't just let this moment pass unrecorded….maybe he still had the talent…..he took out his sketch pad and a pencil from his bag and began, nervously, drawing the scene, trying to get reacquainted with his old skill.

"It's almost set," whispered Sky, as if any sudden noise would chase away the sun, unaware of Sammie drawing.

The golden strip that was left sunk below the earth; the orange light that illuminated the area still remained, its shadows stretching beyond the woodland area.

"That was beautiful," whispered Sky in awe. She turned to Sammie, who was busy with his sketch pad and pencil and was sketching diligently, all his focus on his drawing.

She looked timidly over his shoulder. He didn't seem to notice, so she leaned in more. What she saw made her gasp. On the paper was a mirror image on herself and the Pokémon watching the sunset. It was as if someone had taken a black and white photo of them.

"Sammie," she said softly, "It's so good!"

"Huh?" said Sammie, jerking his head up, confused.

"Your drawing," said Sky, pointing at his drawing pad, "It's incredible!"

"Oh," said Sammie, looking down at his drawing, "It's nothing."

"'Nothing'?" repeated Sky, in disbelief "Sammie, it looks like I'm looking at a picture! It's amazing!"

"Thanks," muttered Sammie, ducking his head blushing. He tore the page out and handed it to Sky.

"Here," he said timidly, his face blushing as he tried to avoid her eyes, "you can have it."

"Oh, Sammie, I couldn't," said Sky, stunned, "It's so good, and you put a lot of effort into it, I couldn't take it from you-"

"I want you to have it!" protested Sammie, "It's a gift."

"Thank you, Sammie," smiled Sky sweetly, as she examined the picture, "I'll treasure it always."

An awkward silence filled the air as twilight came, bringing forth hues of pink purple, and blue. The first stars were beginning to peak out from their heavenly homes, as if shyly twinkling their existence to the earth below. The Trainers and their Pokémon gazed upon them in awe of their wonder, feeling small and helpless among the heavenly hosts.

"It makes you feel like you're so tiny, your invisible, doesn't it?" whispered Sky, her eyes never leaving the heavens.

"Yeah," Sammie whispered back.

Suddenly, a low buzz sounded from behind them. They turned, startled, to see a large flock of the lady-bug type Pokémon, Ledyba, flying above them towards to horizon.

"Wow!" exclaimed Sky, her eyes lighting up as she adjusted her position to better see the Pokémon.

One of the Ledyba was dragging behind, flapping its transparent wings harder and faster in an attempt to keep up, but to no avail. The Pokémon collapsed a few feet away from the Trainers as the flock of Pokémon it was following raced on.

The Trainers and Pokémon gasped and ran to the fallen Ledybas' aide.

"Is it alright?" asked Sky, her expression panic-stricken, as she watched Sammie, who had knelt down besides Ledyba, examine it.

"Just exhausted," answered Sammie, as is gently ran his fingers over the Pokémon's body. He noticed what looked like a burn on its front, left leg. Sky gasped and shuttered when she saw it.

"Poor thing….," she muttered, as she eased herself beside Sammie.

"Would explain how it wasn't able to fly as fast as the others," said Sammie, "Ledyba uses its legs for balance for flying, just like humans use all toes for balance for walking. With one leg burnt, perhaps from a Trainer who had tried to catch it, it wouldn't have been able to fly as fast or as well as the others. It obviously hasn't recovered from its last battle, which seems pretty recent."

"Wow, you're so smart, Sammie," complimented Sky.

Sammie tried to hide his blushing face as he gently cradled the injured Pokémon in his arms and slowly rose to his feet. The Ledyba seemed too weak to care. He turned to Sky, who had also risen to her feet.

"I'm going to take Ledyba back to the lab," he said.

"Will it be alright?" asked Sky, as she petted the Pokémon softly on the head.

"Ledyba will be just fine after some burn medicine and a good nights' sleep," assured Sammie, as he returned his Pokémon back to their Poke' Balls. Sky followed the suit.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked, with a shy smile.

"Sure," said Sammie, as they went their separate ways.

-To be continued

So, what did you think? I would love to hear from all of you! Reviews and advice are appreciated as always!  
~Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7: What is to come

**Ch. 7: What is to come...**

After a good night's rest and some Burn Heal, the once injured Ledyba took a quick liking to Sammie and decided to stay with him.

"Friendly thing, aren't ya?" said Sammie, as he scratched the Ledyba behind the wings. The response from Ledyba was a low hum of enjoyment. Sammie smirked, then sighed as he looked around his surroundings. For the up tenth time. He was currently sitting on his bed, Ledyba laying in his lap. The door was shut and there was nothing to do. Well, nothing he was _allowed _to do. He was grounded, in a sense.

Sammie gave another sigh and laid back on his bed, counting the ceiling tiles for the twelfth time. He didn't know why he was counting again. There were forty-three ceiling tiles. Twice, during his counting, his counted forty-four, and once forty-five. His eyes were beginning to grow tired of counting again by the time he reach the thirties, so he settled that there were forty-three, no more, no less.

He gave another frustrated sigh. "This is so boring! I should've snuck in quieter!"

As much as he'd repeated that statement to himself since being caught coming in late the night before by an incredibly worried Beth, he knew that he was doomed for trouble the second he left yesterday. And as expected, she had the place surrounded by her Pokemon in search of him. It was a matter of seconds before her Golduck found him creeping back to the laboratory with the hurt Ledyba in his arms. Once Ledyba was taken care of, Beth gave Sammie more than a piece of her mind and, in a lapse of judgment, sent her boss to his room. Despite all that, she still managed to keep Gary from knowing what was going on.

"Another reason why I hired her...," he muttered absentmindedly to himself. He didn't dare argue about being sent to his room by his employee. Quite the opposite, he knew he deserved it. Especially after he saw Beth storm off, trying to hide the tears of worry and frustration that were escaping down her face. She had been worried sick.

That day, he stayed in his room as much as possible, only leaving to grab a quick meal, use the restroom, and to get Ledyba. He did pretty well, no one had spotted him and he hadn't seen no one. It was now half past two that evening and the chances of him visiting Sky again that evening were slim. Suddenly, a soft knock at the door made he and Ledyba jump.

Sammie scrabbled to his feet and attempted to gather his senses. "C-come in!"

The door opened slowly to reveal calmer looking Beth with a plate of snickerdoodle cookies in her hand.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

Sammie nodded, not quite sure what to make of this. Beth walked over to the dresser and set the cookies down. It wasn't long before Ledyba happily flew over to where the cookies lay and began to gobble them, one messy bite at a time.

Beth shook her head at the Pokemon, as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Well, I did make those for you..."

"Its the thought that counts," said Sammie with a light shrug as he watched Ledyba devour the cookies. He sat down next to Beth, still feeling guilty for causing her so much worry the night before. He started to speak, but Beth interrupted before he could start.

"Me first," she said, holding up a finger to silence him. She gave a pent up sigh before continuing. "I'm sorry. Really, Professor Oak. I should'nt have overreacted. You just had me so worried! Please say you forgive me." She looked down at him, sincerity in her eyes.

"Apology is not accepted, because there is no need to. _I'm _the one that should be sorry, Beth. You have been working so hard to keep my secret from Gary and have been working on this project night and day. I'm the last person you should worry about, yet, I'm not at all. So, will you forgive me?"

Beth stared dumbfound at her boss. "You mean you're not mad?" she asked in surprise, "Even though I yelled at you and even sent you to your room?"

Sammie laughed. "No! Of course not! How could I? I haven't been sent to my room since...since...I was my age!"

This last statement got laughs from both Beth and Sammie.

"So, you forgive me?" asked Beth, catching her breath from laughing.

"Of course! And you forgive me?"

"How can I say 'no' to my boss?"

Both started laughing again until Beth fell back on the bed and Sammie's side was hurting.

"We're going to have so many inside jokes when this is all over," said Beth, as she sat back up on the bed. Sammie nodded in agreement as his side started to lessen in pain. Ledyba, who had just finished all the cookies, wanted to join the fun as well and flew over to Sammie and landed in his lap.

"New addition to the team, huh?" Beth said, as she petted Ledyba on the head, "That makes how many for you now?"

"Four."

Beth nodded. "Not bad at all, seeing as you've just started collecting Pokemon again. Just two more and you've got a full team. I take it you and that Sky girl are gonna be training again this evening?"

Sammie flushed and stammered, not quite sure of what to say. Beth snorted. "Don't think I don't know what you are up to. I was that age once, too, you know," she said with a wink," just be careful, okay? And try not to see her regularly, if not for yourself or me, then for Gary and Daisy."

Sammie quickly looked down at this remark, his face burning. He simply nodded.

"You're right," he replied, looking up at Beth, "I-I just don't know what's wrong with me."

"Puberty." stated Beth smartly, as she gathered the plate littered with cookie crumbs from the dresser and headed out the door.

"Oh, one more thing," said Beth, as she started to close the door behind her, "the 'Kid's Day' festival would be a great place to practice your Pokemon skills. That is, if you think you can handle it."

_Later at the field._

"So, you are going to enter, right? I mean, Pokemon and having fun that's what Kid's Day is all about!"

Sammie listened to Sky go on about the Kid's Day festival for quite some time as they were training. The festival excited him. He loved battling! But, was it worth being recognized? What if he mentally turned ten during the festival? What if going to the festival actually started making him 'de-age' faster? There were so many negatives about going.

But, still...he _loved _battling.

And Sky was going.

"Oh, I'm definitely entering the Pokemon Battle Contest at the festival," said Sammie, as he watched Sky's Phanpy, Ella, attempt a Roll-Out Attack. The cute elephant Pokemon managed to curl herself into a ball and roll forward a few feet before her rolling became unsteady and wobbly, which sent the Pokemon falling over sideways.

"Phan...," Ella stated in disappointment, as she plumped down on her hunches, staring gloomly at the ground.

"Its okay, Ella, you did your best," said Sky, as she sat down next to her beloved Pokemon.

"Hey! That was a good try, Ella!" said Sammie, running over to them, "You just need to try to gain more speed when starting. That'll help you with your balance and coordination."

Sky looked down at Ella and gave a shrug. "Its worth a try, what do you think?"

"Phan!" exclaimed the little Pokemon, jumping up on her stout legs. She positioned herself for the attack, narrowing her eyes in concentration. Sammie, Sky, and the other Pokemon looked on in support in silence, not wanting to ruin her focus. Ella began to charge forward at full speed, then jumped slightly, landing and turning into a charging, blue ball. Well, more like a 'blur' to Sammie, as he looked on grinning. But, who cared? Ella did it!

The Pokemon and Sky cheered and ran over to where Ella came to a less than perfect stop. Shouts of joy began to ring throughout the small field, as the Pokemon and Sky all hugged and congratulated Ella on a job well done on her first success at a Roll-Out Attack. Ella was red in her cheeks from all the attention, her grin wide with pride. Sammie couldn't help but smile at the scene. He watched and observed, not paying much attention to the voices. That is, until one of those voices was talking to him.

"Sammie? Sammie!"

"Huh?"

Sammie shook his head back to reality and saw that Sky was running towards him with a big smile on her face. Before he knew what was happening, Sky threw her arms around him in a hug. The action stunned Sammie, who forgot everything he knew about being cool, just stood there gaping like a Magikarp on land.

_"Don't just stand here, you idiot! Do something!" _his conscience seemed to scream at him, but it was too late. Sky had released him and took a step back, her eyes brighter than ever. That's when Sammie realized that his mouth was still opened and that his face felt very hot. He mentally scolded himself for not seizing the opportunity to at least _attempt _to be romantic.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" squealed Sky in pure delight, as she managed to skip in her place. She didn't seem to notice Sammie's reaction to all this, which Sammie was very thankful for.

"I've been trying to teach Ella that attack for weeks! And here you are, knowing the secret to it all along! I know that we need more practice, but she finally did it! Oh, Sammie you are the best! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Sammie gave a dry gulp, his face still burning. "Heheh...uh...your welcome?" he managed to say shakily, he voice taking on a high pitched tone. He felt like slapping himself. He wasn't making this any easier on himself.

Sky finally seemed to realize his discomfort and began to blush, which caused Sammie, if it was possible, to turn redder.

"Oh, Sammie," she giggled, as she turned back to her Pokemon, "You are so funny!"

"Yeah."

Sammie continued to stand there, watching her interact with the Pokemon. He was still stunned by what had just happened.

_"What's happening to me?"_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, I take back what I said about Chapter 5. This is now, officially, my least favorite chapter. So hard to write out-_gah! _Well, there was a purpose to why I wrote it...need a hint? Read the title carefully.

Until I write again!


	8. Chapter 8: Kid's Day Part 1

**Ch. 8-Kid's Day (Part 1)**

Weeks later, Sammie walked into the Pallet Town Kid's Day Festival wide-eyed in wonder. The usually quiet town was now loud and crowded, the streets full of vendors selling pizza, hot dogs, burgers, ice cream, cotton candy, candied apples, and just about anything you could think of that a kid would want to eat and what would be a dentist's worst nightmare. Everywhere you looked was like an explosion of color and sound. Bright colored Pokemon banners were hung from street signs and carts, games were being played for prizes, and there was even a few carnival rides, like a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round. And kids of all ages were everywhere!

"Pretty great, huh?" said Beth, who brought Sammie out of his train of thought.

Sammie looked up at her smiling. "I forgot how much I loved Kid's Day! Its great to be able to celebrate again."

"I think Kid's Day is for kids of all ages," said Beth, as she pointed to where Ash and Tracey were competing in an apple-bobbing contest for a Raquaza water gun. Both laughed as Ash attempted to grab an apple with his teeth, but missed and fell straight into the small kiddie pool of water and apples.

"Are you signing up for the Pokemon Battle Competition?" asked Beth, as they continued to walk further into the festival.

"Yup!" answered Sammie in excitement, "Aren't you a Trainer, too?"

"That's correct."

"You should sign up as well!"

"Way ahead of you," replied Beth, as she marched up to a booth with a banner reading 'Battle Competition Sign-Up' above it. Sammie followed at her heels as she began speaking to the young man working the booth.

"Name?" said the dark haired college-aged man in a bored tone. Sammie saw on his navy wrinkled, collared shirt the name 'Kenny' written on his name tag.

"Beth Keller," stated Beth.

"Rank Level?" asked Kenny in the same bored tone, not bothering to look up once as he wrote down the information.

"Level 4."

"Hey, Beth, what does he mean by levels?" asked Sammie, looking up at her.

Beth looked down and responded, "In unprofessional competitions, there are four different ranks that you can sign up, compete, and win in. Level One is 'Beginner', Level Two is 'Intermediate', Level Three is 'Pro' and Level Four is-"

"'Expert'," interrupted Kenny, looking up for the first time since they arrived.

Sammie had to compress a giggle as he noticed Kenny's jaw drop at the sight of Beth. His bored tone and look was quickly replaced with a nervous, crooked smile.

"W-which you have to show proof of at least eight badges to enter, ma'am," Kenny stammered, as he unconsciously smoothed his wrinkled shirt.

Sammie bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing, but Beth didn't seemed to notice Kenny's discomfort as she brought out a thin, silver carrying case from her drawstring bag. She flipped it open to reveal, not just eight badges, but _eighteen. _A Trainer signing up at the booth next to them let out a low whistle as Kenny and Sammie looked at the badges in awe.

"Whoa, you _definitely _qualify," said Kenny, as he scribbled some information down.

Sammie looked up at Beth as she placed the case back in her bag. "Wow, Beth! I had no idea. I have to say, I'm very impressed."

Beth gave a prideful smile and said sweetly, "Thank you."

"Now, all I need is the names of the Pokemon you are entering, and you are all set to go," said Kenny, who now sounded very friendly.

"Froslass, Nidoqueen, Flareon, Steelix, Beautifly, and Swampert," Beth listed off. Her team also got a wave of admiration from Sammie and Kenny.

Kenny slid over the application form along with a pen for Beth to sign. "Tough team, too? You are gonna be the one to beat, this year."

Beth just gave a sly smile as she stepped back to allow Sammie to come forward to sign up. Kenny wasn't as enthusiastic to help Sammie as he was with Beth. He looked Sammie up and down, his bored look appearing once more.

He raised his eyebrows and said smugly, "Sorry, little man, but the _dunking _booth is over by the petting zoo". He pointed with his pen somewhere in the opposite direction.

Sammie gritted his teeth as he rummaged through his backpack and took out an old rusty badge case. He opened it and slammed it on the table revealing not eight, eighteen, but _twenty _badges .

"I'm here to sign up," stated Sammie, as Kenny's jaw dropped once more and his eyes went wide starring at the badges. "Level 4, please."

A girl signing up in the next booth gasped and muttered something about only having six badges. Beth was stunned, too. Not only because she thought it very unwise to bring his original badges along for the competition, but also, she had to admit it to herself, she was impressed. An image of the older Professor Oak flashed through her mind. Beth shook her head in disbelief. Who would've thought that the gentle old man would be a battling champ? She'd known that he was a Trainer when he was younger, but she never realized how good he was.

"Whoa, where'd ya steal those from?" asked Kenny, shooting Sammie an accusing glance.

Sammie felt his jaw drop and color flush in his face. "I didn't steal anything! I earned every single one of them!"

"Funny, I don't recognize any of these badges."

"Shows how much you know!"

Beth walked up to Kenny and placed a hand on Sammie's shoulder. "I'll vouch for the kid," said Beth, as Kenny tried to keep his composure, "He's good. Really good."

Kenny gave an irritated sigh as he looked back at Sammie. Sammie could tell he was struggling between being cool in front of Beth and being a jerk to him.

Kenny turned his glare back to Sammie. "Kid still needs six Pokemon to enter," he said, ignoring Sammie and speaking to Beth. Sammie felt another wave of frustration. He grabbed the Poke'Balls from around his waist and slapped them on the table.

"Care to count, or can you trust that there are six?"

Kenny looked down at the Poke'Balls and gave a snort. He shrugged.

"Whatever. I don't want to hear you crying to mommy when the big, bad Trainers kick your butt," sneered Kenny, as he wrote down some information, "So, who all is on your big, bad team?"

Sammie ignored his comments and said with a fierce glare, "Ponyta, Gloom, Spearow, Ledian, Lotad, and Kricketot."

Kenny started laughing as his wrote down the information.

Sammie began to feel his ears burn. "What's so funny?"

"You and your sorry team," answered Kenny, as he handed him a badge with the number '13' on it.

Sammie snatched the badge away from him and stormed away, his anger pulsing with every step he took.

_How dare that kid! Who does he think he is?_

"Sammie? Sammie! Wait! Sammie! Hey! _Professor Oak!"_

At the sound of his professional name, he stopped and turned to see Beth walking quickly towards him.

"Jeez, Professor," she panted from her speed walking, "Relax, will you?"

"I can't relax!" said Sammie, trying not to shout due to his anger, "That kid had no right to insult his elder!"

Beth raised a concerned eyebrow.

"Uh, newsflash, sir-_you are ten._"

Sammie stood there silent and stunned. He blinked many times, trying to clear his head.

"Oh, yeah," he said slowly, trying to grasp what had been going through his mind, "I guess that that kid made me so mad, that I just...forgot..."

Beth groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Oh, this is not good," came her muffled voice from behind her hands. She sighed and crossed her arms, looking down at Sammie, "Look, you can't stay here. No way. We have to get back to the lab _now _and find out what the Pokemon is going on with you."

"Beth, _please!_" said Sammie in desperation, as he clasped his hands in from of him, "Can't we wait until after the competition? _Please?_ I promise to tell Gary and Bill and Tracey and anyone else-even the other region professors! But, just after the competition, please Beth!"

Beth looked down at her boss, his large, childish eyes looking up at her, his hands still clasped.

"_Fine!_" hissed Beth through her clenched teeth after a moment, frustration pulsing through her, "But, I'd _better _still have my job after all this!"

"The job is as good as yours! Thank you so much, Beth!"

Just as the now delighted Sammie was beginning to fist bump the air in his excitement, the scratchy sound of a very unused intercom broke through the low roar of the active festival life among them. Everyone paused momentarily as an older woman's voice come through over the crowd.

"_Attention all competing Trainers! Your presence is requested at the Trainer booth. For everyone else, the competition will begin shortly!" _

"Hear that, Beth? That's us!"

With that, Sammie grabbed Beth's hand and proceeded to drag her to the Trainer booth where all the competitors were starting to group up according to rank and then to the number that they were assigned. Sammie spotted Sky right away, along with Megan and Lindsey, in the 'Intermediate' rank group. Sky noticed Sammie too, despite the crowd and the distance between them, and gave a little wave to him, which Sammie, blushing, returned. Sammie couldn't help but grin with pride as he took his place in the 'Expert' rank group, his grin widening as Sky and her friends shot him looks of surprise. They weren't the only ones; Trainers everywhere were giving Sammie questioning looks as he stood in line with Beth. Pretty soon, murmurs and whispers were going through the crowd. Sammie attempted to ignore these as he pretended to be occupied with his competitor badge, but to no avail. He still caught a few phrases.

"_What's that kid doing in the 'Expert' line?"_

"_Maybe he got lost or something..."_

"_Whatever! The kid is just trying to be a show-off! He needs to go in the least experienced ranks first!"_

"_How'd he get in unless he had eight badges?"_

"_He has eight badges! More than that! My friend's aunt's younger cousin saw him sign up and said so!"_

"Well, not here ten, fifteen minutes top, and you're already the talk of the competition. Hope your not expecting a 'Congratulations' or anything."

Sammie turned to see Beth smirking down at him next in line. Sammie put on a factitious smile and said quietly so that only she could hear, "Let the young folks be intimidated. They don't scare me. You are finally about to see why Agatha hates my guts."

Beth's grinned widened, as she responded back quietly, "Good. Very good. Though, I don't believe that you and she would both agree as to why Agatha dislikes you."

Sammie shrugged. "Who knows why that old hag truly hates me. We used to be rivals, you know. I personally think she's jealous of my battling skills."

"Tad conceited, aren't you?" said Beth with a low chuckle, "But, maybe you have good reason to. Just know this, Professor: we are now rivals, too."

Sammie looked up at Beth in surprised. He hadn't thought of that. On the contrary, his mind was more focused on the other Trainers in line. But, the idea of battling Beth appealed to him. Greatly.

Beth smirked, her eyes acquiring a new light.

"Don't let me down, sir," she said, still in that quiet voice, as she turned her gaze ahead, crossing her arms in determination, "I want a good match. I may be your Assistant, but I'm a Trainer first. I won't go soft on you; that's not how I battle. And I expect the same from you."

Sammie's smile was now wider than ever, his eyes set. He nodded in agreement as he turned his eyes forward as well.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

Ok, so how about I wasn't planning on making this into parts. No, really, it was supposed to be in all one chapter, then I realized (by page five on my processor) that this was going to take a while. So, enjoy what is up for now and expect more soon (even sooner if you REVIEW ~.^).

Happy reading!

~MastermindMedley10


End file.
